A U.S. Marine has died after a Humvee accident at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California, Marine Corps officials revealed Tuesday.
Pfc. Christian Bautista, 21, was manning the turret on the enhanced armament carrier version of the Humvee at around 7:15 a.m. Sunday morning when his vehicle crashed, costing him his life, Marine Corps Times reported.
Bautista was assigned to the 1st Transportation Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group. The 1st Transportation Support Battalion, which is based at Camp Pendleton, was undergoing logistics support training in the mountainous conditions at the Bridgeport Marine base when the crash occurred.
The Marine was in an improved armored variant of the standard Humvee (M-1151 Enhanced Armament Carrier vehicle), according to the San Bernardino Sun. The Humvee variant can carry up to four Marines.
Two Marines from the same vehicle reportedly attempted first aid on Bautista, but he was pronounced dead as paramedics arrived on the scene.
“Our primary concern is for the Marine we’ve lost, his family, friends, and fellow Marines and sailors,” said Brig. Gen. Roberta Shea, commanding general of 1st Marine Logistics Group, in the press release.
Shea continued, “We have them in our prayers and will exhaust all resources to aid them during this difficult time.”
It is not yet apparent what caused the accident or how Bautista died.
Bautista, a Cook County, Illinois native, enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 2018. He graduated from Motor Transportation School and arrived with his unit in May.
The Marine had been decorated with the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terror Service Medal.
The crash occurred on the same day 3 U.S. Army Soldiers were killed when their armored Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) crashed at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Army officials revealed on Monday that the crash occurred when the vehicle fell off of a bridge and landed upside down in the water below. Three more soldiers were injured in the accident.
The Marine Corps suffered the loss of another Marine in May, when a LAV-25 crashed, killing one Marine and injuring six others.
According to Marine Corps Times, the Marines saw three separate fatal vehicle accidents between April and May as well as the crash of two 7-ton trucks that injured 30 Marines in August.
Despite these accidents, the Marine Corps has seen a 10-year low in military tactical vehicle accidents, according to an August report by Marine Corps Times. Additionally, non-combat military vehicle accidents and rollovers appear to still be on the decline.