Guardrail collision kills US soldier, injures another in South Korea

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — A US soldier was killed and another injured after their vehicle hit a guardrail on a road in Pyeongtaek early Sunday.

SPC. Dajour Cleveland, 23, was killed in the crash near Osan Air Force Base, according to an emailed statement from Eighth Army spokesman Lt. Col. Neil Penttila.

Cleveland was a signals support systems specialist attached to the 94th Military Police Battalion, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, at Camp Humphreys.

“We are fully cooperating with the Korean National Police to determine the cause of the traffic accident and thank the first responders for their efforts at the scene,” the statement said.

The driver, an unidentified US soldier, was being treated for injuries at Camp Humphreys on Monday, a Pyeongtaek police investigator told Stars and Stripes by phone the same day. South Korean officials usually speak to the media on condition of anonymity.

The collision happened on a curved two-lane road around 12:50 a.m., the investigator said. Investigators believe the private vehicle collided with the guardrail on the right side of the road.

The driver “seems not to have turned properly in the direction he wanted to go,” the investigator said. He said an investigation into the cause of the crash was ongoing.

Police responding to the incident found Cleveland outside the vehicle and unresponsive. The unidentified soldier was found about 750 meters away.

He was detained without incident and turned over to US military police in accordance with the status of forces agreement, which outlines the rights and responsibilities of US military personnel in South Korea, the investigator said.

Preliminary evidence suggests bad weather played no role in the incident, the investigator said. Police took a blood sample from the driver and the results are expected in 10 days.

About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea, the majority of them at Camp Humphreys, the largest US military base overseas.