US military identifies a soldier killed in a crash on a German highway

BERLIN — The U.S. military on Thursday identified a soldier killed when a truck hit her Stryker armored vehicle on a highway in southern Germany.

U.S. Army Europe said that 1st Lt. Hailey Hodsden, a platoon leader with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment's 4th Squadron, died in the crash near Tirschenreuth in Bavaria on Tuesday.

It said in a statement that the 24-year-old native of Dripping Springs, Texas, was a West Point graduate and had been in her unit for a little over a year. The 4th Squadron commander, Lt. Col. Joseph M. Byerly, described her as “an exceptional leader.”

A civilian semi-truck hit the Stryker as it merged onto the A93 highway. Hodsden was treated and taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. No other soldiers in the military vehicle were injured, and the crash is under investigation.