Fort Hood officials on Tuesday released the name of a soldier who died Aug. 12 from injuries suffered while providing assistance at the scene of an accident on Interstate 14 in Killeen, Texas.
Spc. Cole Jakob Aton, 22, was killed when a vehicle driving past the accident was unable to avoid him, Texas officials said.
The incident occurred at about 8:40 p.m. Wednesday. Aton was in the roadway on I-14 helping to direct traffic around a minor collision between two vehicles when a 2015 Chevrolet Cruz approached and could not avoid hitting him, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety statement.
Aton was pronounced deceased on the scene, the statement added. The accident took place near Willow Springs Road overpass, which is several miles outside the central Texas military installation.
Aton, whose home of record is listed as Science Hill, Kentucky, entered the Army in March 2018 as a Patriot missile troop. He had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 44th Artillery Regiment, 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, since August 2018.
Aton’s brigade commander, Col. Ethan Hall, called the deceased soldier a “committed” and “selfless” service member.
“The command wishes to express its condolences to the families and friends of Specialist Jakob Aton, and all who have been affected by this tragic accident,” Hall said in a prepared statement. “The entire team is heartbroken. Our priority right now is to take care of his family, ensuring they have all the resources they need during this critical time.”
The accident is currently under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
