Interstate 5 in Washington runs through Joint Base Lewis-McChord. (Gary Warner, Stars and Stripes)
A soldier was killed and another injured early Saturday morning in a crash on the portion of Interstate 5 that runs through Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Wash., according to Army officials.
Pfc. Trenton J. Conkling, 22, died at the scene of the crash. Pfc. Jeremiah E. Taylor Smith, 22, was injured and transported to nearby Madigan Army Medical Center at the base.
Both soldiers were assigned to I Corps at Lewis McChord, according to Lt. Col. Jennifer Bocanegra, an Army spokeswoman.
Conkling was driving a 2009 black Chevrolet Malibu southbound on Interstate 5 near the Gravelly Lake exit in the city of Lakewood, adjacent to the base, according to a Washington State Police report.
The car left the pavement on the right side of the highway, struck a tree and rolled over, finally coming to a stop back in traffic lanes. State police said they received the first call about the crash at about 2:52 a.m.
Conkling was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Alcohol or drugs were involved in the incident, the police report said.
Smith was wearing a seat belt. On Monday, the Army said he was in stable condition at Madigan, the medical center at the north end of the joint Army-Air Force installation. The Army would not comment on Smith’s injuries.
Neither the state police nor the Army would release the hometowns of Conkling and Smith or additional information on their military service. The Army said the next of kin of both soldiers had been notified of the crash.
