A delivery van crashed into the back of an Army truck near Velburg, about 47 miles south of Grafenwoehr, Dec. 7, 2018. ( neumarkt-aktuell/Klein)
A delivery van crashed into the back of an Army truck near Velburg, about 47 miles south of Grafenwoehr, Dec. 7, 2018. ( neumarkt-aktuell/Klein)
A U.S. Army truck was involved in a serious accident on autobahn A3 near Velburg, about 47 miles south of Grafenwoehr. The accident happened on a 130-foot high bridge, when a delivery van crashed into the back of the truck. (neumarkt-aktuell/Klein)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A guardrail kept two soldiers in a U.S. Army truck from falling off a 130-foot-high bridge after being rear-ended by a delivery van in Bavaria, police said Monday.
The collision Friday night on the Krondorftal bridge near Velburg caused the two vehicles to break through the barrier in the middle of the highway, where they struck another truck and a small car driving in the opposite direction. The Army truck and van then smashed into the guardrail on the left side, Oberpfalz police said in a statement. The guardrail bent but did not break, leaving the truck partially hanging over the side of the bridge.
The two U.S. soldiers, who were not identified, were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The van driver suffered serious injuries and had to be cut out of his vehicle, police said. The A3 autobahn toward Regensburg had to be shut down until midnight.
Police detective Martin Fink said that it is not yet clear what caused the accident, but that it was “great luck” that the guardrail withstood the impact of the two vehicles.
U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria was not immediately available for comment Monday.
