Six Injured In Fenwick Accident; Vehicle Struck Police SUV, Overturned

FENWICK ISLAND — Six people were injured in a multi-vehicle collision on Coastal Highway in Fenwick Island last Thursday night after a vehicle overturned after striking a Fenwick Island Police SUV engaged in a traffic stop.

Around 9:45 p.m. last Thursday, a 33-year-old Fenwick Island police officer was conducting a traffic stop on a driver suspected of driving under the influence on the northbound shoulder of Coastal Highway, or Route 1, in Fenwick Island just north of Lewes Street. The officer was seated in the driver’s seat of the 2013 Ford Explorer patrol vehicle, while the suspect in the DUI investigation, identified as Shawn Moran, 59, of Wilmington, was in the passenger seat.

A short time later, a 2010 Nissan Maxima driven by Heath Clifford McDermott, 42, of Bel Air, Md., was traveling northbound on Route 1 when it veered to the right and struck the left rear portion of the police vehicle. The impact of the collision caused the Fenwick Police Ford Explorer to lurch forward, striking the rear of a 2005 Toyota Sequoia that had been pulled over during the initial traffic stop.

The Nissan Maxima continued northbound and overturned on its roof, trapping McDermott and his passenger, an unidentified 48-year-old female from Osprey, Fla. inside. McDermott and his female passenger were extricated from the overturned vehicle. McDermott was flown by Delaware State Police helicopter to Christiana Medical Center where he was admitted with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. The female passenger was transported by EMS to Beebe Medical Center where she was treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

The Fenwick police officer and the DUI suspect were transported by EMS to Beebe Medical Center where they were treated and released. Meanwhile, the two passengers in the Toyota Sequoia were also removed from the scene by EMS and transported to Beebe Medical Center for treatment and were released.

The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending against McDermott for suspected DUI and vehicular assault. In addition, the initial DUI that caused the initial traffic stop is also still under investigation. Coastal Highway north of Fenwick Island was closed for roughly 90 minutes as the multi-vehicle crash scene was cleared.