Dan Stamm

Fire Extinguisher Dislodges, Causes 6-Vehicle Wreck in Delaware Beach Town

A dislodged fire extinguisher that blocked a box truck's brake pedal is to blame for a six-car pileup near Rehoboth Beach that sent one person to the hospital, said investigators.

Master Cpl. Gary E. Fournier said a fire extinguisher that had been attached to the inside of the truck became unhooked and rolled under the brake Monday morning while Francis Stawicki of Rehoboth Beach was driving his 2002 Ford box truck westbound on John J. Williams Highway (State Route 24) just west of Coastal Highway (State Route 1).

Unable to brake, Fournier said Stawicki hit a mail truck already stopped in front of him on Route 24. That crash triggered a series of vehicles rear-ending each other in front of the trucks.

The mail truck driver was hospitalized and released later that day for non-life-threatening injuries. the other drivers -- ranging in age from 58 to 73 -- weren't injured.

No charges were filed.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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