Peter Neill WRDE reporter’s booze cruise Coastal Highway wrecked a Mercury and his car.

From The Beach News

DEWEY BEACH, DEL. — Amazingly, there were no serious injuries after a drunk driver sped down the wrong side of Coastal Highway after a crash in Dewey Beach early Sunday. The area was packed with late-night bar patrons and other vehicles.

The accident occurred around 12:03 a.m. Sunday as a gray Volkswagen Jetta headed south on Coastal Highway and collided with another car at the intersection of Dickinson Avenue at the new Hyatt.

A Dewey Beach police officer on patrol at New Orleans Street had spotted the Jetta speeding through town about 25 seconds prior to the crash. Police say the vehicle, driven by Peter Neill, 22, of Dagsboro, had been changing lanes erratically.

The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the Jetta. But before the officer could catch it, police say Neill disregarded the traffic signal at Dickinson Avenue and smashed into this Mercury Grand Marquis, which had been turning north onto Coastal Highway. Neill kept going.

After the impact, the Mercury remained in the intersection and Neill’s Jetta crossed into the north-bound side of Coastal Highway and continued south. He finally struck the median near Van Dyke Avenue and came to a halt.

Police say Neill was taken to Beebe Hospital where he was treated and released for minor injuries. Police later charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol and several other motor vehicle violations. The operator of the Grand Marquis was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Peter Neill is a reporter at WRDE, the new local NBC-affiliated TV station serving the Rehoboth area.  see MORE FROM THE BEACH NEWS