The 8-year-old son of an airman assigned to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany died Saturday night following a crash on autobahn A60 near the base. (Stars and Stripes)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – The 8-year-old son of an airman from Spangdahlem Air Base was killed Saturday night in a single-car crash on autobahn A60 near the base, German police and base officials said.
The father, 34, who was driving the car, was hospitalized with serious injuries. The mother, 35, and the family’s 4-year-old son were hospitalized with minor injuries, police said. The family members’ names were not released.
A Spangdahlem base spokesman confirmed on Monday that the son of an airman assigned to the base died as a result of the crash but did not release any more information. German media reported that the boy’s mother is in the Air Force.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, Bitburg police spokesman Otmar Kaufmann said. Alcohol was not a factor, he said.
It appears the car left the roadway at a curve and overturned several times in an embankment, he said. A truck driver at the scene called police to report the crash at 11:58 p.m. Saturday.
The stretch of road where the crash occurred is not considered particularly dangerous, Kaufmann said.
Photos of the accident scene in German media showed a snow-slicked highway. Kaufmann said the road was wet but it was not snowing at the time of the crash.
The A60 was closed until 4:30 a.m.
Stars and Stripes reporter Jennifer Svan contributed to this report.
