RAF MILDENHALL, England — One airman is dead and three are in the hospital following two separate car accidents on English roads over the holiday weekend.
Julious Hawkins, 24, Stockbridge, Ga., died early Friday morning following an accident on the A14 highway outside of Bury St. Edmunds, according to a 100th Air Refueling Wing spokesman.
Hawkins was traveling west in the eastbound lanes when he collided with a semi-truck, Capt. Jamie Humphries said.
Hawkins joined the Air Force in 2002 and came to England from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. He served with the 100th Maintenance Squadron as a sheet metal technician, Humphries said.
A memorial for Hawkins will be held later this week.
A day later, three airmen were critically injured and another was left in serious condition after a BMW driven by an airman struck a tree in the village of Lakenheath, which is home to the 48th Fighter Wing.
Base officials released no information about the accident. Three of the airmen involved were members of the 56th Rescue Squadron, which recently moved from Iceland to the United Kingdom. The fourth airman was a member of the 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
As of Monday, two airmen were in critical condition while two others had been upgraded to stable condition, according to 48th Fighter Wing spokesman 1st Lt. Aaron J. Henninger.
The accident occurred about 10:20 p.m. on Undley Road when the BMW left the road and struck a tree, according to the investigating agency, the Suffolk Constabulary. All four had to be cut free from the mangled vehicle by firefighters, constabulary officials said.
The accidents occurred shortly after officials at RAF Lakenheath issued a “condition red” warning for driving under the influence of alcohol following the death of 1st Lt. John Biram on Sept. 12, as well as six 48th Fighter Wing airmen being issued DUIs in the past three months. Investigations continue into both fatal wrecks as well as Saturday’s crash. It’s unclear if alcohol was a factor in either of the accidents.
