Soldiers drive M915 tractor trucks in a cross-country convoy in the U.S. in May 2024. Three U.S. Army transport trucks collided on highway A6 near Ansbach, Germany. Four people, including three service members, were injured during the accident. (Du-marc Mills/U.S. Army National Guard)
Updated 12:25 p.m. Central European Time, July 19, 2024
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Four people were injured when three U.S. military trucks collided with each other and a car traveling on highway A6 near Feuchtwangen on Wednesday.
Three U.S. soldiers and the 33-year-old car driver were seriously injured and taken to surrounding hospitals, chief inspector Rüdiger Gärtner, an Ansbach police spokesman, said in a statement Thursday.
A sergeant, specialist and private from the 529th Combat Service Support Battalion were among the injured soldiers, according to Lauren Harrah, a spokeswoman with U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Each soldier is receiving the appropriate medical care, and two have returned to their unit. One is in stable condition.
“We continue to care for the soldiers, are in contact with families, and are working with the authorities leading the investigation,” Harrah added.
The accident, which occurred near the Bavarian state border around 8:30 a.m., led to significant traffic disruptions, said chief inspector Stefan Kull, an Ansbach police spokesman.
The convoy of five U.S. military trucks was traveling towards Heilbronn when it pulled up to a traffic jam, police said.
“The leading truck was able to brake in time, as was the second truck,” Gärtner said. “However, the (third) driver was unable to brake in time and hit the semitrailer in front of him. The same happened to the following semitrailer.”
The trucks did not carry explosives or hazardous materials, according to police, and U.S. military police are assisting with the investigation.
The accident happened in the two westbound lanes between Feuchtwangen-Nord and the Feuchtwangen/Crailsheim interchange, roughly 30 minutes from U.S. Army installations in Ansbach. The highway was closed in the direction of Heilbronn from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Gärtner said.
