UPDATE: California man charged in fatal Laurel crash

The victim has been identified by police as Douglas H. Baker Jr., 42 of Salisbury.  Officials say his wife, Tracey D. Baker, 41, remains hospitalized at Crozer-Chester Hospital in Chester, PA.

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The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is currently investigating a fatal crash that occurred north of Laurel on Saturday morning.

The police say that the accident occurred at 1:41 a.m. on Saturday July 30, 2016. They claim that Michael J. Gonzalez, a 32-year-old man of Paramount, California, was operating a 2014 Ford F250 and was heading southbound on Sussex Highway, or US13, in the right lane, just north of Boyce Road at an apparent high rate of speed.

Police say a 42-year-old Salisbury, Maryland man was operating a 1998 Mercedes SUV and was also heading southbound in the right lane of US13, just ahead of the pick-up truck. Officers state that the front of the truck struck the rear of the Mercedes in the right lane.

Police say that upon impact, the Mercedes rotated in a clockwise direction while spinning down a grass hill and overturning. Police claim that the Ford also rotated slightly in a clockwise direction and exited the roadway onto the grass before coming to a complete stop. 

Officers say that the Mercedes then went up in flames, trapping the driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say that a 41-year-old passenger, to be identified as the wife of the driver, in the Mercedes was able to leave the vehicle. Officers state that she suffered a great amount of burns and multiple blunt force injuries. Police say that the passenger was flown to Crozer-Chester Hospital in Chester, Pennsylvania, where she is currently admitted.

Officers say that Michael Gonzalez and a 44-year-old male passenger were in the Ford and were both transported to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital. Police claim that they both were treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police say that they took Gonzalez back to Troop 5, where he was charged with 1st-degree Vehicular Homicide, 1st-degree Vehicular Assault, 2nd-degree Vehicular Assault, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, No Insurance, Driving Without a Valid License, and Inattentive Driving.

Police state that Gonzalez is at Sussex Correctional Institution on $40,000.00 cash bond.

The Collision Reconstruction Unit is still continuing their investigation on this accident.