10 soldiers sent to hospital after I-55 convoy accident

RIDGELAND — Six military vehicles en route to southern Louisiana to assist with Hurricane Ida recovery were in an accident here Thursday that sent 10 soldiers to a Jackson hospital with minor injuries, the authorities said

“In a nutshell, we had a civilian cut a military convoy off and the lead vehicle in the convoy had to slam on the brakes to avoid the civilian vehicle,” Ridgeland Police Lt. Brian Myers said.

He said that this caused a “chain reaction” leading to the collision of six military vehicles and injuring 10 soldiers who were in the transport.

The soldiers were then transported to area hospitals for treatment of minor injuries.

“We are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals that assisted our service members today after the vehicle accident,” states a Mississippi National Guard press release. “Safety is paramount for our Soldiers and our neighbors sharing the roadways. As a safety reminder, we ask that our civilian neighbors avoid passing between military vehicles traveling in a convoy movement.”

All soldiers are expected to make full recoveries.

“Out of an abundance of caution and per normal protocol procedures, 10 soldiers were taken to a Jackson hospital for medical evaluation,” the release states. “At this time all soldiers are expected to make a full recovery with only minor injuries reported. The cause of the accident is under investigation at this time. No civilian injuries or civilian vehicles were reported in the accident.”

The Interstate 220 ramp leading from I-55 southbound was closed for quite a while so the U.S. Army could tow their equipment from the area, Myers said. No civilian vehicles were involved in the crash.

This convoy was from the 223rd Engineer Battalion headed to southern Louisiana to assist in the relief efforts following Hurricane Ida. They were part of the approximately 250 MNG soldiers in the Taskforce deploying to the neighboring state to provide emergency assistance.