YEONCHEON, South Korea — A Humvee collided with a bus while turning on to Highway 3 north of Dongducheon on Friday, 2nd Infantry Division and Yeoncheon police officials confirmed Tuesday.
Inside the Humvee, a command sergeant major, a sergeant major and a private first class with the 210th Fires Brigade’s 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery sustained non-life threatening injuries, according to a 2nd ID spokesman.
The bus driver and two passengers sustained minor injuries, Yeoncheon police said.
The Humvee was leaving a training exercise at Firing Point 16, about 12 miles north of Camp Casey, when it made a left turn, 2nd ID officials said.
The bus struck the Humvee as the military vehicle turned into the opposite lane of traffic, Yeoncheon police said.
The turn makes it likely that the majority of fault lay with the Humvee driver, police said.
“In order to mitigate future accidents, the division’s leadership has prohibited left hand and U-turns onto Highway 3 until further notice” out of Firing Point 16, a 2ID statement said.
Army officials declined to comment on fault or give the names of those involved due to the accident’s ongoing investigation.
The bus sustained minor damage, but the Humvee sustained extensive damage on its left side and door, police said.
Commander’s orders already bar military tactical vehicles from a stretch of Highway 3 from the beginning of Dongducheon to Camp Casey out of concern for pedestrian safety.
Tactical vehicles instead take a highway bypassing the main route.
Multiple large convoys took place, mainly at night, during the past few weeks north of Camp Casey as part of the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s Iron Focus exercise.
No major accidents have been reported as a result of those maneuvers, officials said.