At least one person has been killed near a training site around the West Point Military Academy north of New York City, West Point confirmed on Thursday.
Twenty cadets and two soldiers were wounded in the accident, according to West Point.
One cadet is reported deceased, 20 cadets and two soldiers are wounded that were involved in a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle accident that occurred at approximately 6:45 a.m. off Route 293.
— U.S. Military Academy (@WestPoint_USMA) June 6, 2019
The accident involved an armored personnel carrier, according to CNN. The network reported that first responders are at the scene, including New York state troopers and West Point police.
CNN: One person killed in accident at West Point in New York pic.twitter.com/dCvuvtSQQ9
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) June 6, 2019
This is a developing story.
It looks like Mike Pence was wrong (no big surprise):
Awful. Prayers going out to them.
To make combat vehicles less vulnerable to IEDs, there is more space now between the ground and the chassis to let the blast pressure escape. Unfortunately, this raises the center of gravity of these vehicles, making them more susceptible to rolling over if they run into a ditch or turn too abruptly.
By “Light Medium Tactical Vehicle”, they may be referring to the Medium Tactical Vehicle - a wheeled truck about the size & shape of a panel truck with an armored cab to protect the driver and a passenger. Like a lot of Army trucks, you can put benches in the back to carry more soldiers.
Thoughts and prayers for the soldiers and cadets involved and their families. Accidental death and serious injuries are always terrible, but it’s even worse when some of the victims are young adults just starting out on life’s journey.
I used to see this all the time in Training Units, injuries were common around vehicles.
Some of the worst involved foreign troops training on our equipment; language barrier in the Safety Briefing.
Tank or Machine Gun?