Training accident at Ft. Pickett injures soldiers

Training accident at Ft. Pickett injures soldiers

A training accident has injured several soldiers at Ft. Pickett in exnews](visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 18-11-2009 by freetree64]

Just got this in off of twitter, not sure if MSM has picked up on it yet, but it sounds very serious, and came in on BNO. Would send my prayers and best wishes for the soldiers and their families. Unsure of what type of event took place, with minimal information avalible.





(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 18-11-2009 by freetree64]

Richmond Times article with more info..




14 soldiers treated after small explosion at Fort Pickett
By Staff Reports
Published: November 18, 2009
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nowBuzz up!One soldier was flown from VCU Medical Center with third-degree burns and other injuries, and 13 other soldiers were taken to area hospitals after a small explosion tonight at Fort Pickett, officials said.

A small device used to simulate the flashing and banging sounds soldiers experience under fire exploded about 8 p.m. at Fort Pickett, a training base for the Virginia National Guard in Nottoway County, said Maj. Cotton Puryear.

The soldiers were not training when the device went off, Puryear said, but training had been held earlier in the day.

The soldier closest to the explosion suffered burns and cuts that were not believed to be life-threatening, Puryear said, and the other 13 were taken by ground to hospitals as a precaution, mostly for ringing in their ears.

More info from CBS6 in Richmond, VA.


Explosion at Fort Pickett Injures at Least Thirteen
Training exercise explosion sends more than a dozen soldiers to local hospitals.
Bill Fitzgerald Staff reporter
An explosion during a training exercise at Fort Pickett near Blackstone has injured more than a dozen soldiers. It happened around 8:00 pm Wednesday. The range commander at Fort Pickett says a female soldier was holding a grenade simulator went it went off.

A spokesperson from Southside Regional Medical Center said in an email at 10 pm that eleven soldiers had been admitted there with injuries and that all were in stable condition and expected to be released in the next few hours.

The female soldier was taken to VCU Medical Center, with burns and lacerations, in serious condition.

Fort Pickett was an Army base until 1997 when it was turned over to the National Guard.

CBS 6 has a crew on the scene and we'll have updates on-line as well as on CBS 6 This Morning at 5 am Thursday

I've found some articles on it, it seems that a grenade simulator went off in a female soldier's hands during clean-up.

I'm a little confused though, they say this happened at 8pm tonight, but these two articles............

www2.timesdispatch.com...

The soldier closest to the explosion suffered burns and cuts that were not believed to be life-threatening, Puryear said, and the other 13 were taken by ground to hospitals as a precaution, mostly for ringing in their ears.

www2.timesdispatch.com...

The woman closest to the blast suffered third-degree burns and cuts and was flown to the hospital.

state they were posted 21 hrs ago. How can they report something before it has even happened

A pyrotechnic device, similar to a grenade simulator, that did not explode during training went off in the hands of a female soldier in the process of clean-up. The soldier sustained third degree burns and lacerations to her hands. She was taken by medivac to Southside Regional Medical Center.

www.wric.com...

The range commander at Fort Pickett says a female soldier was holding a grenade simulator went it went off.

The range commander said most appeared to suffer from concussions.

www.wtvr.com...


I don't know the earliest articles ( that seem to have been posted before the explosions) state that the female soldier was close to the device when it went off (not holding it) and that the others were taken in mainly for ringing in the ears. The most recent articles state that she was holding the device and the others appear to suffer from concussions . Kinda sounds like they don't have their stories straight, maybe they're trying to cover something up