A man was charged with DUI after police say he crashed his truck into a tree, causing it to catch fire.
Police say 25-year-old Michael Fitzpatrick of Cape May Court House, New Jersey was driving a 2007 Ford F150 pickup truck northbound on Union Street Extended (SR5) towards Coastal Highway (SR1) in Milton, Delaware around 5 a.m. Sunday. The truck then crossed the southbound and northbound lanes and entered Brumbley’s Family Park on Brumbley Place, police said. The truck struck two tree stumps and a decorative rock and then crashed into a large tree before finally coming to a stop.
The crash caused both the truck and tree to catch fire. It also caused heat damage to an occupied home located on the property, officials said.
A State Trooper quickly arrived at the scene and found Fitzpatrick unconscious inside the truck, lying across the front seat. Due to the doors being locked, the trooper broke into the driver’s side window, woke Fitzpatrick up and pulled him from the burning truck.
Firefighters were able to control the flames. No one inside the home was injured and there was no structural damage to the house, investigators said.
Fitzpatrick was taken to Bayhealth Milford Memorial where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He was then cited for driving under the influence of alcohol.
