Dennis Parkstone Killed in Truck Accident on I-495 in Wilmington, DE
Wilmington, DE — December 30, 2022, 29-year-old Dennis Parkstone died in a collision with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 495 in Wilmington.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:05 a.m. on I-495 near the exit ramp to Route 141. Preliminary investigation suggests a Freightliner 18-wheeler was headed south on the interstate when the driver pulled onto the gore area between the travel lanes and the exit ramp.
Investigators believe Parkstone soon approached in a Honda HRV and started to take the Route 141 exit, but allegedly failed to remain on the ramp and hit the rear-right corner of the Freightliner's trailer.
Parkstone, who was wearing a seat belt at the time, suffered fatal injuries. The truck driver was reportedly unhurt.
No further information is currently available.
People may read that a motorist hit a stopped truck and think that, while sad, the crash mostly boils down to that one major point. However, it's always worth remembering that preliminary reports are rarely if ever detailed enough to actually tell the whole story. There still many questions here that urgently need answers, such as: Why exactly did the truck stop in the gore? Did the reason fall within federal guidelines about when a big rig can stop by a highway? Was the truck fully out of both the road and the ramp, or was it partially blocking the lanes? How long was the truck there before the victim arrived? Were there any cones or reflective triangles behind it? Were its lights still on? If the victim "failed to remain on the ramp" as alleged, why?
The point of all those questions and the many others that need attention isn't to complicate things; it's to ensure all the dots are connected and the picture they make is clear. A man lost his life here, and it seems only right to learn exactly how and why that occurred. His loved ones deserve no less; will police make sure they get the truth?
