UPDATED: Arrest Made After Wrong-Way Fatal Crash on Route 13 Near Seaford

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UPDATED 10/17/24: Delaware State Police have arrested 24-year-old Luis Lucas-Mendez of Georgetown for vehicular homicide, DUI, and related charges following a fatal crash earlier this month that left two people dead. The crash occurred on October 6th on Sussex Highway near Cannon Road, involving a 2016 Nissan Rogue and a 2005 Honda Pilot. The Rogue, driven by a 22-year-old man from Washington, D.C., collided head-on with the Pilot, driven by 24-year-old Luis Lucas-Mendez of Georgetown, Delaware, who was driving under the influence in the wrong lane. Two passengers in the Rogue– 22-year-old Eric Staley and 18-year-old Makayla Belton– were pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver and another passenger were critically injured. Lucas-Mendez and a passenger in the Pilot–a 40-year-old man from Georgetown–sustained serious injuries. After being released from the hospital, Lucas-Mendez was arrested on October 9th and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, reckless endangering, DUI, and other related offenses. He was committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $30,201 cash bond. The Delaware State Police are continuing to investigate and seek additional witnesses.

Luis Lucas-Mendez

Additional Information from DSP:

The Delaware State Police Troop 7 Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this incident. Troopers are asking anyone who witnessed this crash to contact Master Corporal K. Argo by calling (302) 703-3264. Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.

If you or someone you know is a victim or witness of a crime, or you have lost a loved one to a sudden death and need assistance, the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit / Delaware Victim Center is available to offer you support and resources 24 hours a day through a toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). You may also email the Victim Services Unit at DSP_VictimServicesMail@delaware.gov

UPDATED – 10/07/24 – Delaware State Police have identified 22-year-old Eric Staley from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and 18-year-old Makayla Belton from Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, as the individuals who died in a fatal crash on Sunday, October 6, in Seaford.

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ORIGINAL STORY – 10/06/24 – A crash just after 1:30 Sunday morning left two people dead north of Seaford. Delaware State Police a Honda Pilot was traveling northbound in the southbound lane on Route 13 south of Cannon Road and collided head on with a Nissan Rogue that was southbound.

Police say two passengers in the Nissan – a 22 year old man from North Carolina and an 18 year old woman from Pennsylvania were pronounced dead at the scene. The 22 year old male driver of the Nissan from Washington, DC and an 18 year old woman rear passenger from Bethesda were taken to an area hospital with critical injuries.

The driver of the Honda, a 24 year old Georgetown man was hospitalized with serious injuries and impairment is suspected to be a factor. A 40 year old male passenger in the Honda, also from Georgetown, was hospitalized with critical injuries.

The investigation is continuing and police ask anyone who witnessed this crash to contact Master Cpl Argo at 302-703-3264 or Crime Stoppers at 800-847-3333.

Additional information and statement from UMES President Heidi M. Anderson:  The four people in the Nissan Rogue were students at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, MD. 

UMES is withholding the names of the affected students pending permission from their families, who have been notified.
 
Delaware State Police responded to the incident and suspect that the wrong way driver was impaired. He and a male passenger in his vehicle were taken to area hospitals with serious and critical injuries, respectively.
 
“We grieve the loss of our UMES students and pray for the other students hurt have a full recovery,” said UMES President Heidi M. Anderson.
 
In a statement to the campus community, Anderson added: “This tragedy has taken two promising young people at the very start of their adult lives and deprived our Hawk community, their families and friends of the dynamic futures they were poised to live.”
 
Counselors will be available for UMES students, faculty, and staff as we deal with the grief of this tragic accident.

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