Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs)

A 24-year-old First Lieutenant assigned to Vilseck, Germany, died in an on-duty government motor vehicle (GMV) mishap 1 August 2023 in Weiden, Germany, at 1125 local. A military convoy was merging onto the autobahn when a civilian semi-truck struck a Stryker. The collision resulted in the commander’s vehicle hatch releasing and impacting the Soldier, causing her to lose consciousness. Emergency medical services and polizei responded and pronounced the Soldier dead at the scene. The Soldier was wearing personal protective equipment and a gunner’s restraint harness. The unit/safety points of contact are waiting for the polizei to release its final report.

Since 2018, the Army has lost an average of nine Soldiers a year to on-duty GMV mishaps. This mishap was the fourth on-duty GMV fatality of FY23 and the same number of fatalities for the same period last year.

Safety tips

Convoy commanders must identify hazards along the convoy route.

Ensure to conduct a pre-convoy safety briefing covering hazards, location of road hazards, driving conditions and control measures.

If feasible, schedule convoys around peak travel and congestion periods.

Ensure the vehicle commanders have been briefed on established communication.

If available, plan for military police or host nation assistance to regulate traffic.

Ensure that vehicle commanders are trained to observe hazards and communicate them throughout the convoy.

Upon reaching the acceleration lane, increase convoy speed to equal as closely as possible the speed of other traffic on the roadway.

When moving into the traffic lane and before merging, the driver should ensure that lanes are clear of oncoming traffic.

Position your vehicle toward the nearside of the road before merging onto an entrance ramp.

Signal your intentions when planning to merge or change lanes.

Wait to accelerate onto the traffic lane if you see vehicles approaching quickly.

Check again and ensure there is nothing preventing a safe maneuver onto the traffic lane.

Never force your way into the traffic; stop and wait if necessary.

Take extra caution when merging near large vehicles; they may accidentally cross over in your lane due to their large width.

Keeping your vehicle close to the nearside (pavement /sidewalk) edge of the road on single carriageways can help you to avoid sideswiping collisions — especially on corners.

Pay attention to the position of your vehicle and ensure you never cross over the central white line unless absolutely essential.

Ensure mirrors and windows are clean and adjusted before and during travel.

Safety tips for vehicle hatch operation

When the hatch is opened, the downward force may trap hands between the hatch and the opening.

Hatches are under spring tension. Ensure to keep the body clear of the hatch when opening. Failure to do so may result in injury to personnel.

Engage the safety catch after opening the hatch to ensure it stays in a secured position.

 

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A Staff Sergeant assigned to Fort Liberty, North Carolina, on temporary duty assignment attending the United States Army Drill Sergeant Academy, died in a combat skills/military unique mishap 12 June 2023 in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, at 2320 local. The Soldier was conducting a land navigation course when he did not report back to the starting point within the three-hour time limit. The chief instructor contacted the Fort Jackson Directorate of Emergency Services (DES), which informed cadre to wait an hour before officially considering the Soldier’s duty status as unknown. DES arrived and began its search for the Soldier. He was later found dead in the training area.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of four Soldiers a year to combat skills/military unique mishaps. This tragedy was the second combat skills/military unique fatality of FY23.

Safety tip
Land navigation course safety tips:

• Use a Soldier Monitoring system or a persistent Soldier monitoring device [e.g., Home Station Instrumentation Training System (HITS) or Deployable System for Training and Readiness (DSTAR)].


• Consider allowing Soldiers to carry their personal cellphone for emergencies.


• Consider allowing Soldiers to navigate the course in buddy teams.


• Ensure Soldiers are trained in the use of a panic azimuth and easily recognized boundary points.


• Use roving guides to conduct perimeter checks and observe and monitor Soldiers movements on course.


• Monitor wet bulb globe temperature and adjust activity levels and uniform as appropriate.


• Ensure Soldiers are trained on hot weather injury/heat illness symptoms and treatment.


• Establish multiple water points distributed throughout the course.


• If all Soldiers have not returned by the established end time, execute search-and-rescue procedures immediately in accordance with local standard operating procedures.

The Joint Risk Assessment Tool (JRAT) is an interactive, easy-to-use, automated system designed to assist users with the application of risk management and the production of an automated risk assessment worksheet. For more information, visit https://jrat.safety.army.mil.
 

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A 28-year-old Staff Sergeant assigned to Camp Carroll, Korea, died in an other ground mishap 18 January 2023 in Waegwan, Korea, at 0300 local. The Soldier reportedly fell off the roof of her apartment building. A Non-Commissioned Officer from the unit notified first responders and the chain of command. Local first responders arrived on the scene, found the Soldier nonresponsive and immediately began lifesaving measures. Upon arrival to the local medical center, the Soldier was pronounced dead by the attending physician. No further details are currently available. The unit/safety points of contact are waiting for local authorities to release their final report.

Since 2018, the Army has lost an average of three Soldiers a year to off-duty other ground mishaps. This mishap was the first off-duty other ground fatality of FY23.
 

 

A 20-year-old Specialist assigned to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, died in a GMV mishap 22 October 2022 in Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG), Pennsylvania, at 1315 local. Four Soldiers in two M1120 Load Handling System (LHS) vehicles were traveling on the tank trail to pick up ammunition dunnage at a range. During the movement, the trailing LHS vehicle rear-ended the first vehicle. The first vehicle's flat rack entered and crushed the driver’s side of the second LHS vehicle’s cab. The driver of the second LHS was unresponsive and did not have a pulse when the other Soldiers in the convoy extracted her from the vehicle and performed immediate CPR. FTIG emergency services were notified of the accident and responded to the scene, where they pronounced the Soldier dead. The other three Soldiers were evacuated to Hershey Medical Center for precautionary reasons and evaluation.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of nine Soldiers a year to GMV mishaps. This mishap was the first GMV fatality of FY23 and the same number of fatalities for the same time period last year.

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A Staff Sergeant and Second Lieutenant assigned as students at Fort Benning, Georgia, died in a combat skills/military unique mishap 9 August 2022 in Cleveland, Georgia, at 1515 local. While conducting mountaineering training, the unit went into its lightning-lockdown procedures as strikes occurred within 10 miles of the area. While the students spread out, the wind blew a large portion of a tree onto five students. Unit medics transported the two fatally injured Soldiers off the mountainside and transferred the Soldiers onto local ambulances with the unit physician’s assistant assisting along the way. The remaining three Soldiers sustained non-fatal injuries and were transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Georgia. Two of the Soldiers who suffered non-fatal injuries were discharged. The third injured Soldier was hospitalized for two days and discharged for outpatient care. The USACRC is leading a safety investigation into the mishap.

Since 2017, the Army has lost an average of three Soldiers a year to combat skills/military unique mishaps. This tragedy was the third and fourth combat skills/military unique fatalities of FY22.