Updated: Motor Scooter Rider Seriously Injured in Coastal Hwy Crash
Updated info (9 a.m., July 25) from Sr. Cpl. Jason Hatchell— On July 24, 2022, at approximately 5:46 p.m., a 2021 Wolf Blazer moped was traveling northbound on the shoulder of Route 1 (Coastal Hwy) approaching Church Street. At this time, a 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse had stopped in the left turn lane of southbound Route 1 at Church Street for a posted stop sign. Northbound traffic was backed up for a red traffic signal at Route 1 A (Rehoboth Avenue-Extended) and the stopped traffic extended an unknown distance south of Church Street.
Drivers in the northbound lanes left an open space for the Eclipse to cross northbound Route 1. As the Eclipse began to proceed across the northbound lanes it crossed over the northbound shoulder and entered the path of the moped. As a result, the front of the moped struck the right front corner of the Eclipse. The operator of the Moped — an 18-year-old male — was ejected and was transported to an area hospital where he is in stable condition. Northbound Route 1 was closed for 3 hours.
Original post (10 p.m., Sunday, July 24): A man riding a motor scooter was struck here on the northbound side of Coastal Highway at Church Street around 5:45 p.m. Sunday. As of late Sunday evening, state police have not yet released any details, but scooter crashes here on this section of Coastal Highway are not uncommon.
One problem here has been that the scooter riders travel more freely in the BUS/BIKE lane while motorists are often traveling at slower speeds because of heavy traffic on the regular traffic lanes. But the scooter riders are vulnerable here to autos crossing through the heavy traffic not expecting a fast-approaching scooter in the BUS/BIKE lane. The scooters are often hidden behind the autos stuck in traffic as the scooters approach an intersection or driveway entrance, and that is where the collision happens, in the BUS/BIKE lane.
One EMS report described the injured scooter rider here as an approximately 18-year-old male. He was unconscious and suffered serious injuries. He was taken by ambulance to the Rehoboth Elementary School and flown to a trauma center via Delaware State Police helicopter, Trooper 2.
Photo courtesy Henry Bright
