Man charged with DUI after head-on SUV crash

Volkswagen Beetle and Dodge Durango collided head-on along Route 24 east of Millsoboro (Photo: Delaware State Police)
Volkswagen Beetle and Dodge Durango collided head-on along Route 24 east of Millsoboro (Photo: Delaware State Police)

MILLSBORO, DELAWARE (11/27/2015) A man is facing DUI and other charges after a head-on crash on Route 24 east of Millsboro, the Delaware State Police said.

The crash happend about 6:25 p.m. Thursday on John J. Williams Highway (Route 24) just east of Maryland Camp Road.

Police said Joseph F. Peart Jr., 45, of Millsboro, was driving a 2000 Dodge Durango westbound when it began swerving into the oncoming lane and struck an eastbound 2003 Volkswagen Beetle head-on.

The Durango overturned on its side and rotatee 180 degrees before coming to a stop. The Beetle rotated 180 degrees in the eastbound lane where it came to a stop, police said.

Peart was taken by ambulance to Beebe Healthcare’s hospital in Lewes, where he was admitted injuries police said were not life-threatening.

He was charged with two counts of Vehicular Assault 1st, Driving Under the Influence of a Combination of Alcohol and any Drug, Possession of a Controlled Substance (Xanax) without a Prescription, Reckless Endangering 2nd, Driving While Suspended/Revoked, and various other traffic charges. He was placed in custody of the Delaware Department of Correction in lieu of $7,102 secured bond.

A 30-year-old man from Wilmington who was a passenger in Peart’s vehicle was treated at Beebe for injuries police said were not life-threatening.

The driver of the Volkswagen, Barbara B. Hahn, 55, of Rehoboth Beach, was admitted to Beebe with undetermined injuries. Police said she had been wearing a seat belt.

Route 24 near Mountaire Farms was closed about 90 minutes while the crash was investigated and the wreckage cleared.