Corporal Piotr S. improperly secured the passage of a convoy of US Army trucks in Lower Silesia. As a result, he contributed to a fatal accident on national road 18 near Świętoszów. This is according to the indictment sent to the court by the military department of the Wrocław District Prosecutor’s Office – reports Gazeta Wrocławska.
At the point where the column of American trucks entered national road 18, there were reportedly no warning lights—which are necessary in such situations—or even a military vehicle with its blue warning lights on. The US Army vehicles were escorted by the Traffic Regulation Company from Oleśnica. The commander was Corporal Piotr S.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the second US Army truck entered road 18 after the corporal stopped blocking the road from the Wrocław side and drove to the front of the column. At that point, the rear of the column remained unlit. The truck had been positioned incorrectly; instead of entering the right lane, it was driven by an American woman into the left lane, resulting in a fatal accident.
Corporal Piotr S., on the other hand, claims that he is innocent. He says that when he noticed the truck was positioned incorrectly, he drove forward and tried to signal the female soldier to stop the vehicle with a red flashlight. Unfortunately, the American woman did not react.
Specialists, however, believe that the tragedy would not have occurred if the column had been properly marked. In their opinion, the corporal should have secured the rear of the column at all times.
The tragedy occurred during the night of 7–8 June 2016 on national road 18 near Świętoszów. A Ford Mondeo driver crashed into a column of American military trucks leaving the training area. The passenger in the car died at the scene, while the driver was taken to hospital in serious condition.
The military vehicle, which was transporting a container with a tanker trailer attached, was driven by an American female soldier. The vehicle was taking part in the Anakonda-16 exercises. The Polish car had registration plates from Katowice.
