[soliloquy id="6462"]
NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE (4/16/2015) Four people were injured this morning in a five-vehicle accident at the Hares Corner intersection on U.S. 13 near New Castle, Delaware State Police said.
The accident happened about 8 a.m., closing the left three northbound lanes and the left two southbound lanes approaching the Hares Corner (Route 273) intersection and jamming traffic for about an hour. All lanes were reopened shortly before 9 a.m.
Police said Rachael A. Prather, 30, of New Castle, was driving a 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante on southbound U.S. 13 (North DuPont Highway) approaching Route 273 (Christiana Road). Prather failed to notice that traffic in front of her had stopped for a red light, police said, and her car struck the rear of a stopped 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer.
The Mitsubishi then traveled through the intersection and into the northbound lanes of U.S. 13, hitting a 2003 Honda Accord that was stopped and a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse that also was stopped, police said.
The impact pushed the Traverse backward into the front of a 2006 Volvo S60.
Prather was taken by ambulance to Christiana Hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. Troopers cited her for inattentive driving.
The driver of the Trailblazer, Tonia L. Love, 63, of Wilmington, and a 64-year-old man who was a passenger in her SUV, as well as the driver of the Traverse, Karen A. Ruckstool, 65, of Elkton, Maryland, were taken to Christiana for treatment of injuries not life-threatening, according to police.
Three other passengers in two of the vehicles were taken to the hospital as a precaution, police said, but were not injured.
The driver of the Honda, Larry E. Sparks, 60, of Elkton, Maryland, and the driver of the Volvo, Cynthia M. Miller, 46, of New Castle. were not injured.
Fatal wrong-way crash jams I-95
3 school buses, dump truck in crash on U.S. 113