A 20-year-old Private First Class assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, died in a PMV-4 mishap 14 February 2020 in Redding, California, at 0117 local. The Soldier was driving his PMV when he was struck from behind by a civilian driver. As the Soldier's vehicle came to a halt, it was struck again by a semi-truck. The civilian driver who initially struck the Soldier’s vehicle was reported to be intoxicated. The Soldier was pronounced dead at the scene.
Since FY16, the Army has lost an average of 34 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This was the 12th fatal off-duty PMV-4 mishap of FY20 and just one fatality below last year's pace. Every driver shares the road, so it’s critical to maintain vigilance and practice defensive driving, especially when operating a vehicle after midnight.