Eight U.S. soldiers were injured on Thursday after their transport truck overturned on a local road in the Drawsko Pomorskie municipality while en route to a military exercise.
Details of the Incident
The accident occurred on a local road between the villages of Studnica and Czertyń. According to Major Tomasz Zygmunt, press officer for the Szczecin branch of the Military Gendarmerie, the soldiers were sitting on benches in the back of the truck when the vehicle hit the shoulder and flipped onto its side.
Eight soldiers sustained injuries in the incident. One individual, who was in serious condition, was transported by a helicopter from the Air Ambulance Service (LPR) to a hospital in Gryfice. Five medical rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.
Medical Response and Investigation
Natalia Dorochowicz of the Voivodeship Ambulance Station in Szczecin confirmed that six victims were taken to hospitals and are in stable condition. One injured soldier refused transport to a medical facility.
The Military Gendarmerie, under the supervision of the military division of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Poznań, is investigating the cause of the accident. Major Zygmunt noted that the crash occurred on a straight stretch of road during good weather conditions, pointing to driver negligence as a likely cause.
U.S. Military Presence in Poland
Approximately 10,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in Poland, most serving on a rotational basis as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which began in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea. Permanent and semi-permanent assets include the missile defense base in Redzikowo, the 5th Corps headquarters in Poznań, and logistics hubs in Powidź.
Additional U.S. forces include aviation units in Powidź and Łask, a divisional headquarters in Bolesławiec overseeing NATO’s eastern flank, and a NATO battalion battle group in Bemowo Piskie, which consists of American, British, Romanian, and Croatian personnel.
