BERLIN — Two separate motor vehicle accidents less than two hours apart in northern Worcester County on Sunday morning claimed the lives of two Lower Shore men.
Just after 8 a.m. on Sunday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to the intersection of Routes 50 and 589 for a reported serious motor vehicle collision. The investigation revealed a 2001 Chevy operated by Mervin Louis Martin, 59, of Pittsville was traveling eastbound on Route 50. Evidence and witness statements indicate Martin’s vehicle left the northern side of the roadway as it approached the intersection, struck a ditch and re-entered the highway, colliding with a tractor-trailer that was making a left turn from Route 589 onto eastbound Route 50.
Martin, the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Westbound Route 50 was closed for several hours while troopers investigated the accident. The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Berlin Fire and Police Departments and the State Highway Administration (SHA) assisted with the incident.
Less than two hours later at 9:35 a.m. on Sunday, the Worcester County 911 center received a call about a motor vehicle accident on Blueberry Road near Morris Road in Whaleyville. The caller reported a vehicle on its side in an irrigation ditch. Worcester County Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene along with the Showell Fire Department and EMS and located a 1995 Chevy van on its side with the operator trapped beneath the vehicle.
The operator was determined to be deceased and was later identified as Todd Russell Mariner, 49, of Salisbury.
The preliminary investigation revealed the vehicle left the roadway and stopped along the edge of an irrigation ditch. As the driver attempted to exit the vehicle, the shift in weight caused the vehicle to roll on top of him.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Reconstruction Unit at 410-632-1111.
