Salisbury man dead, 16 others injured in early Saturday crash in Gumboro
A Salisbury man is dead and 16 people were injured in a multi-vehicle crash early Saturday morning in Gumboro, Maryland State Police reported.
Police said troopers responded to a crash involving three passenger vehicles and one tractor-trailer at 9049 Gumboro Road in Gumboro shortly before 3:45 a.m. May 13.
A preliminary investigation by the Maryland State Police Crash Team indicates three vehicles were stopped in the travel portion of Maryland Route 353 when the crash occurred.
Police said a Kia Forte, a GMC Acadia, a Chevrolet Express van and a Freightliner tractor-trailer were involved in the crash.
Eliassaint Aussideu, 39, of Salisbury, the driver and sole occupant of the Kia, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Maryland State Police helicopter transported one patient from the scene to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. She is identified as Joseus Gerlie, 34, of Fruitland, Maryland. Gerlie was one of two passengers in the GMC Acadia driven by Geraldine Phauord, 37, of Salisbury.
Jenise Mondestin, 43, of Salisbury was driving the van with 12 passengers in it at the time of the accident, police said.
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Fifteen people were treated at the scene by EMS personnel from multiple fire and rescue companies that responded to the scene. All 15 were taken by ambulance to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional in Salisbury.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, Rodney Powell, 61, of Parsonsburg, was not injured, police said.
Witnesses told police that the Kia Forte was disabled and attempting a jump-start from the GMC Acadia. The Chevrolet Express van had stopped ahead of the two vehicles in the travel portion of the road while they were initiating the jump-start.
Investigators believe the tractor-trailer, traveling in the southbound lane of Route 353, struck the rear of the Forte and the passenger side of the Acadia, which caused a chain reaction, police said.
Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office was briefed by investigators, and upon completion of the crash investigation, it will be presented to the Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office for review.
Police believe the drivers and passengers of all the vehicles involved were inside their respective vehicles when the crash occurred. The Maryland State Police Crash Team continues the investigation.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Salisbury man dead, 16 others injured in early Saturday crash in Gumboro
