Background: A section of Atlantic Avenue east of Whites Neck Road in Millville, Del. (Google Maps). Inset: Kara Gilmore (Delaware State Police).
A woman in Delaware smashed her Subaru into a cyclist — ultimately causing his death — and only stopped once her SUV broke down, authorities say.
Kara Gilmore, 46, faces charges including second-degree vehicular homicide in the death of 52-year-old Duane Pershing, the Delaware State Police announced. She also stands accused of leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death, driving under the influence of alcohol, and other related traffic offenses.
On Tuesday at about 9 p.m., Pershing was traveling west in the eastbound bike lane on Atlantic Avenue in Millville, Delaware. At the same time, Gilmore was driving a Subaru Forester east on the same road, meaning the cyclist and motorist would have been facing each other.
The two were on Atlantic Avenue east of Whites Neck Road in Millville, a town 4 miles from the Atlantic Coast. As Gilmore drove, police say, she "left the eastbound lane of travel, entered the bike lane, and struck the bicyclist."
The defendant allegedly continued driving but was found by Ocean View Police Department officers "a short time later" as her SUV was "disabled" in the parking lot of a nearby bank. When troopers made contact with Gilmore, they say she "showed multiple signs of impairment."
Law enforcement gave her field sobriety tests and then arrested her for DUI.
Pershing was found at the crash site and was flown to a regional hospital "with life-threatening injuries," troopers said. He died the following day.
After Gilmore's arrest, she was released on a $3,404 unsecured bond. However, following Pershing's death, several of her charges were upgraded, and she was taken into custody in Maryland, where she is from.
The Delaware State Police said on Thursday that the crash investigation was ongoing, and they urged anyone with information to contact them.
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