Two Killed In Highway Accidents

BERLIN - Two people, including one pedestrian, were killed on Worcester County highways in separate accidents a little more than 15 hours apart.

The first occurred around 7:38 p.m. last Thursday when a pedestrian walked into the path of the motorcycle on eastbound Route 50 just east of Elm Street during the torrential downpours that swept through the area that night. According to police reports, a 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Carmelo M. Piparato, Jr., 51, of Easton, Pa., was traveling in the far right lane on eastbound Route 50 when a 50-year-old white female stepped into the vehicle's path.

The accident occurred just east on Elm Street roughly between the Starbuck's Coffee store and the Ocean City Factory Outlets on the other side of the highway. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not released the victim's name pending notification of next of kin, but a source said this week the victim was a local woman and long-time employee of the Food Lion grocery store nearby.

The area of Route 50 has been particularly deadly this year with two other fatalities in a stretch of a mile or so including another pedestrian. In May, a local teen was killed when he allegedly fell into the path of a vehicle eastbound on Route 50 near the western terminus of the Harry Kelley Memorial Bridge. About a month later on June 26, two bicyclists were struck from behind on the westbound side of the span by a vehicle with one injured and the other pronounced dead at the scene.

Another local was killed in an accident on a dangerous section of Route 113 near Snow Hill around mid-morning on Friday. Shortly after 11 a.m. last Friday, Maryland State Police troopers were dispatched to the intersection of Route 113 and Public Landing Rd. in Snow Hill for a reported motor vehicle accident with entrapment.

The investigation revealed a 1994 Chevrolet Lumina driven by Norman Ayres, 68, of Snow Hill, was traveling westbound on Public Landing Rd. approaching Route 113 and failed to stop or yield the right-of-way to a 2008 Cadillac STS passenger car driven by Graham Wheeler, 85, of Hampton, Va., which was traveling southbound on Route 113. The Cadillac struck the Chevrolet as it attempted to cross Route 113. Ayres was pronounced dead at the scene, while Graham Wheeler and his passenger, identified as Grace Wheeler, 84, also of Hampton, Va., were transported by Snow Hill Fire-EMS to PRMC in Salisbury. The investigation is ongoing.