A U.S. Army National Guard soldier died and another was seriously injured when a Connecticut National Guard vehicle and another car collided on Interstate 95 in Rye Thursday morning, causing a 10-mile backup on the busy highway, authorities said.
The collision forced the military vehicle to flip over and the two soldiers inside the vehicle, both members of the Connecticut National Guard, were ejected from the vehicle, state police and Army authorities said. The passenger was killed and the driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
The soldiers' identities were not being immediately released by National Guard officials.
The driver of the other car was also taken to the hospital, but the extent of that person's injuries wasn't immediately clear. There was only one person in the second car.
National Guard officials said the military vehicle, known as a light medium tactical vehicle, or LMTV, was traveling to Fort Dix, N.J., on a routine mission to turn in spent ammunition shells from a recent training session. There was no live ammunition in the vehicle.
The military truck was accompanied by a government van with two additional soldiers inside, and the two vehicles had been on the road for less than two hours, officials said.
All military vehicle drivers receive extensive training and must complete an annual check ride, officials said.
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The LMTV was seen overturned on the grass near the ramp to exit 21, which marks the eastern end of the Cross-Westchester Expressway. Two small American flags that had been placed in the rubble drifted in the breeze.
Two southbound lanes were closed while state police investigated.
