Five Hospitalized After Two Separate, Serious Berlin Accidents

Five Hospitalized After Two Separate, Serious Berlin Accidents
The pickup truck, which was pulling a camper, is pictured after last Friday's accident at Routes 50 and 818 (Main Street). Photo courtesy of Berlin Fire Company

BERLIN – Emergency crews responded to two serious motor vehicle accidents in Berlin last Friday.

Shortly before 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16, the Berlin Police Department responded to the intersection of Route 50 and 818 for a motor vehicle crash. Less than three hours later, police were dispatched to Route 346 for a collision involving pedestrians.

“As you’re out and about on the roads this holiday season, please travel safely,” Mayor Zack Tyndall advised in a social media post over the weekend.

According to Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing, his officers were dispatched to the intersection of Route 818 and Route 50 for a collision with two motor vehicles, one of which was on fire. Upon arrival, officers observed a 2000 GMC, which was attached to a camper trailer, engulfed in fire. The driver of the truck a 59-year-old male from Shirley, NY, was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Medical Center by Maryland State Police Aviation Unit (Trooper 4). The passenger, a 63-year-old female also from Shirley, NY, was transported by ambulance to Tidal Health. The second vehicle, a 2022 F-150, was driven by a 43-year-old male from Delmar who was transported via ambulance to Tidal Health. The GMC truck with the camper trailer was on Route 818 crossing Route 50 in the intersection and the Ford F-150 was travelling east on Route 50 when the collision occurred. The GMC truck caught fire post impact.

All involved have been released from medical care with non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation is being handled by the Berlin Police Department and preliminary results show that the GMC truck drove in the pathway of the Ford.

1-berlin-pedestrians-150x150.jpg

Old Ocean City Boulevard is pictured during the investigation into a collision that hospitalized two pedestrians. Photo courtesy of Berlin Fire Company

Just a bit later Friday evening, at about 7:51 p.m., police responded to Old Ocean City Boulevard after a collision involving pedestrians in front of Burn Pizza. Upon arrival, officers observed a 2007 Jeep Cherokee and two pedestrians in the roadway. The pedestrians, a 55-year-old male and a 49-year-old female, were both from Ocean Pines. The male subject was transported via ambulance to Tidal Health and later flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Medical Center and the female subject was flown directly to the Maryland Shock Trauma Medical Center by Maryland State Police Aviation Unit (Trooper 6). The male driver of the Jeep was medically assessed and released at the scene. Both pedestrians are considered to be in serious but stable condition. The investigation is ongoing and being handled by the Berlin Police Department. The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Berlin Emergency Medical Services, and Berlin Fire Company assisted with the incident.

Tyndall on Saturday morning urged motorists to be careful and said he’d been in contact with the Maryland State Highway Administration regarding the Route 818 and Route 50 intersection, as Friday’s accident was far from the first to occur there.

“I once again reached out to Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) and our state delegation regarding the Town of Berlin’s request for a traffic light at this intersection,” Tyndall wrote on Facebook. “Understanding that a traffic light will take time to install, I have asked SHA to increase safety measures at this intersection, including ‘Look Again’ signs, a traffic camera, and more speed limit signs near the intersection.”

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

Alternative Text

Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.