Delaware State Police confirm motorist was killed in fiery crash that closed I-95 Tuesday
The driver of a pickup truck that crashed on I-95 near Wilmington Thursday morning was killed when his truck crashed into construction equipment and caught on fire, Delaware State Police confirmed on Wednesday.
Police identified the motorist as 50-year-old Michael Faust of Collingdale, Pennsylvania, who was driving a white 2020 Ram 3500 pickup. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash occurred about 6:15 a.m. as the pickup was southbound on I-95, south of Concord Pike (Route 202), said Senior Cpl. Leonard DeMalto, a police spokesperson.
For unknown reason, DeMalto said the truck entered into the closed left lane of the ongoing construction zone and collided with several construction barrels. The truck continued southbound, striking a road sign before entering the construction work area where the vehicle collided with a slipform paver, which according to Constrofacilitator.com, are usually used to spread out, form and apply a finish to concrete.
After colliding with the paver, DeMalto said the truck caught on fire.
No construction workers were in the area at the time of the crash, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation. But the paver received significant damage and had to be removed.
While the paver will need to be replaced, DelDOT officials said they don't expect this to impact to the ongoing road work.
Southbound I-95, at Concord Pike, and southbound Concord Pike were closed for about 10 hours while the crash was investigated and the roadway was cleared, police said.
Background:I-95 south lanes reopened after Tuesday morning crash closed interstate near Wilmington
I-95 construction work:Good news: I-95 'Restore the Corridor' restoration project on schedule to end next year
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Police: Motorist died in fiery crash that closed I-95 near Wilmington
