SALISBURY, Md. — "Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks" star William "Willbilly" Hathaway died in a car crash Saturday afternoon in Salisbury, Maryland, according to the state police.
Hathaway, 36, called his wife right after the accident and told her another driver made a sudden turn in front of him forcing him into a ditch, but that he was OK, according to WBOC-TV, but by the time EMS arrived Hathaway was not breathing. He was pronounced dead at a local medical center.
Investigators told WBOC the airbags in Hathaway's Toyota pickup had not deployed.
The fishing community in Ocean City, which Hathaway was part of, released a statement on his death in a Facebook post.
Friends have organized a fundraiser for the wife and infant daughter of a Berlin, Maryland man and cast member of the reality show "Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks," who died following a... https://t.co/kWqQVl0olF
— WBOC TV16 (@wboc) December 17, 2018
Wicked Tuna star William 'Willbilly' Hathaway dies aged 36https://t.co/iGUbflwq7e pic.twitter.com/MGrVHYhAan
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) December 17, 2018
"He was an exceptional human being whose passion was the sea. He always brightened the day of anyone he met," the statement said.
The group is raising money for Hathaway's wife, Mary Malone Hathaway, and the couple's daughter, Molly Jean.
Hathaway’s “Wicked Tuna” co-star Nicholas “Duffy” Fudge, 28, also died this year, unexpectedly over the summer.
"Wicked Tuna" star William Joseph "Willbilly" Hathaway, 36, died Saturday after the truck he was driving was involved in a wreck. https://t.co/eze44wNh4E
— USA TODAY Life (@usatodaylife) December 17, 2018
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