Man driving wrong direction on I-495 crashes, killing himself and 3 others late Wednesday

Four people were killed late Wednesday when a 48-year-old Elkton, Maryland, man drove in the wrong direction of I-495 and crashed head-on into a 2020 Toyota Tacoma carrying three people, Delaware State Police said.

None of the victims have been identified by police.

The Elkton man was driving a 2004 Ford F-150 south in the northbound lanes of I-495 near New Castle at about 11:30 p.m., said Senior Cpl. Jason Hatchell, a police spokesperson. At the same time, Hatchell said a 41-year-old Philadelphia woman was driving a 2020 Toyota Tacoma in the northbound lanes of the interstate.

Delaware State Police cruiser

Police said the Ford drove directly into the path of the Toyota, resulting in a head-on collision.

The man and woman died at the scene, police said.

Hatchell said there were two juveniles inside the woman’s Toyota. The juveniles were taken to an area hospital, where they died. No other information was provided on the juveniles.

This is the second fatal crash this week involving a wrong-way driver from the Elkton, Maryland, area.

Matthew Doran was killed after crashing head-on into a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado on Sunday night. The 45-year-old was driving a 2014 Subaru Forester east while in the westbound lanes of Pulaski Highway (Route 40), police said.

Sunday fatal crash:Man traveling in wrong direction on Route 40 dies after collision late Sunday

Driving on the wrong side or wrong way of the road tied for the fifth cause contributing to fatal crashes last year in Delaware. Nine crashes were attributed to this. The other cause that contributed to this many fatal crashes was inattentive driving.

For subscribers:Why more and more people are being killed on Delaware roads

Doran’s death surpassed the 139 people killed on Delaware roadways last year. There have now been 144 people killed on Delaware roads, the most since 2006, which saw 147 people killed in traffic fatalities.

Following Wednesday night’s crash, I-495 northbound was closed between I-95 and Route 13 for about five hours while the collision was investigated and the roadway was cleared.

Police continue to investigate this incident, and troopers ask that anyone who witnessed this crash to please contact investigators at (302) 365-8486. Information may also be provided by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or via the internet at www.delawarecrimestoppers.com.

Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Man driving wrong direction on I-495 crashes, killing himself and 3 others late Wednesday