Fiery Crash Closes 90 Bridge For Two Hours

OCEAN CITY - An alleged
drunk driver slammed into the back of two vehicles on the Route 90 Bridge early
last Friday morning, causing two of the three vehicles involved to burst into
flames during an incident that caused the span to be closed for over two hours.

Shortly after midnight
last Friday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) and Ocean City Fire Department
personnel responded to a reported three-vehicle accident on the section of the
Route 90 Bridge between Isle of Wight and the resort. By the time police
arrived on the scene, two of the three vehicles involved in the crash had
caught fire and were completely engulfed in flames, according to police
reports.

For safety reasons,
Ocean City Police closed the Route 90 Bridge in both directions so the Ocean
City Fire Department could extinguish the vehicle fires. According to police
reports, no one was injured as a result of the crash of the vehicle fires,
however.

The investigation revealed
one of the three vehicles involved experience a mechanical problem that forced
the driver to stop near the apex of the bridge. A second vehicle came along and
stopped to assist with the disable first vehicle. Finally, a third vehicle,
driven by Michael Joseph Delaney, 38, of Ocean City, came across the bridge and
struck the disabled vehicle and the second vehicle attempting to assist it.

Based on initial
contact, OCPD officers suspected Delaney had been driving under the influence
of alcohol. He was administered several field sobriety tests and later placed
under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol and other
traffic-related offenses.

The bridge remained
closed for over two hours so Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA)
officials could thoroughly inspect it to ensure it wasn't damaged during the
crash and subsequent vehicle fires. The bridge was re-opened around 2:30 a.m.