DUI crash destroys Dewey Beach eatery

Early on the morning of Aug. 9, state police said a state trooper on patrol spotted a car going about 90 mph on the Forgotten Mile outside Rehoboth Beach. Moments later, the trooper was one of the first on the scene of a fiery crash that destroyed a Dewey Beach institution.

Dewey Beach police say Michelle Small, 36, of Wyoming, was speeding southbound on Route 1 when she lost control of her 2013 Mini Cooper, crossed the median and plowed into Ed's Chicken and Crabs. The crash severed a propane line setting off a devastating fire.

Sgt. Clifford Dempsey of the Dewey Beach Police Department said three seasonal officers were near Ed's Chicken when the car barreled into the restaurant. They broke a side window of the Mini Cooper and pulled Small out seconds before the car and building burst into flames, he said.

No one else was in the building at the time of the fire.

“They did a great job,” Dempsey said. “It just shows how valuable seasonal police are.”

A neighbor's video camera captured a car flash by with sparks in its wake before the crash.

Dewey resident Rob Jones, co-owner of Delaware Jet Ski Fishing, who lives next door to Ed’s, woke up when he heard the impact.

“My alarm for the yard started going off nonstop. I look at my cameras, and it was like daylight. I looked outside and saw the flames 40 feet in the air, 20 feet from my house,” he said. “I was worried for my jet skis, house, cat, everything I have worked for is in my house.”

Jones said the driver was lucky to walk away from the crash. Dewey police are reviewing Jones’ security camera video; footage was posted to Facebook and the Cape Gazette website.

The Delaware Fire Marshal’s Office estimated the crash caused $75,000 in damage to the restaurant.

Small was taken to Dewey’s police department for a driving under the influence investigation, but she became unresponsive and was transported to Beebe Healthcare where she was treated and released, Dempsey said.

She was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving and failure to have insurance identification. She is scheduled for arraignment in Justice of the Peace Court 14 in Georgetown on Aug. 26.

The fire destroyed the popular eatery that owner Ed Riggin opened in 1978. For its first five years, the stand offered only barbecued chicken. As the menu expanded, so did the number of bright yellow and turquoise benches and tables.

“I loved working there,” Riggin said. “I would consider reopening.”

But with one year left on a lease with the Catts family, who own the building and property, Riggin said, he is not sure what will happen. “It's not really up to me,” he said.

Richard Catts said his family is waiting to hear from insurance adjusters, and the future of Ed's Chicken is still up in the air.

“It's something we'll hash out and have to talk to him about,” Catts said.

Riggin, fondly known as Chicken Ed by throngs of people who frequented his Dewey Beach landmark, thought he'd seen the last of his business as he walked through its charred remains Aug. 9.

“I know I said this is it,” said Riggin, 83. “But I don't think I'm ready to retire.”

Ryan Mavity contributed to this article