Woman, 30, dies in crash that closed Route 1

A Clayton woman died March 23 following a multi-car crash at the intersection of routes 1 and 5 near Milton that closed both lanes for hours.

Delaware State Police have identified the woman as Sheri Foster, 30.

The crash happened at 6:47 a.m. when a 2022 Ford Escort driven by a Millsboro man, 81, was traveling east on Route 5 (Union Street Extended) approaching the posted stop sign at the intersection with Route 1, but he failed to remain stopped and drove into the southbound lanes of Route 1, said Sr. Cpl. Leonard DeMalto of the Delaware State Police.

At the same time, DeMalto said, a 2011 Ford Fiesta driven by a 30-year-old woman from Clayton was traveling southbound on Route 1 approaching the intersection, and the front of the Fiesta struck the left rear of the Escort, causing the Escort to spin and strike a fence off the east side of the northbound lanes of Route 1. The Fiesta rotated on the roadway and was struck by a 2005 Honda Accord in the middle of the southbound lanes. Both the northbound and southbound lanes of Route 1 were closed for about 3.5 hours while the scene was investigated and cleared. Roadway closures caused massive traffic backups on Route 30 and ancillary roads in the Milton area.

The Millsboro man and his passenger, a Millsboro woman, 75, were taken by ambulance to an area hospital for nonlife-threatening injuries. The driver of the Accord, a 32-year-old man from Hartly, was not injured.

Foster was critically injured and taken to an area hospital where she later died from her injuries, DeMalto said. Identification of the victim is pending notification to her family and relatives.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with information from the Delaware State Police.