Car crash in Germany kills US soldier and injures three other soldiers

A 22-year-old U.S. soldier was killed Friday night in a car crash in Kaiserslautern, Germany which also led to injuries of three other U.S. soldiers, including one hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

All four soldiers were assigned to Army units in the Kaiserslautern region. The soldier who died worked for Public Health Command Europe, said Gino Mattorano, spokesman for Regional Health Command Europe. The name of the soldier has not been revealed pending next of kin notification.

The crash took place near Kleber Kaserne and in front of Daenner Kaserne at a four-way intersection. The 22-year-old soldier failed to yield while making a left-hand turn from Daennerstrasse onto Mannheimer Strasse, according to Kaiserslautern police.

The soldier’s car crashed in the intersection with a vehicle driven by another soldier, 20, who moved east on Mannheimer Strasse toward the Real shopping center.

The crash took place around 9:20 p.m., Kaiserslautern police spokeswoman Christiane Lautenschlaeger said. Generally at that time, the intersection’s traffic light blinks yellow.

Whether that was the case is part of the investigation, which has been turned over to the American military, she said.

The 22-year-old soldier died at the hospital and her 26-year-old passenger is in serious condition.

The two other soldiers received small injuries and weren’t hospitalized.

Both cars were totaled, police said.

Three of the soldiers are assigned to units with the 21st Theater Sustainment Command in Kaiserslautern, according to command spokesman Maj. Selwyn Johnson.

Both U.S. military and German firefighters and police provided their services to the crash.

“Our thoughts are with the families of all the Soldiers involved in this tragic incident,” Mattorano said.