A junior sailor stationed in Mississippi was killed last month in a car accident, officials confirmed.
Hospitalman Apprentice Brandon S. Thomas, 19, was assigned to Naval Support Activity Meridian, according to his service records.
He was driving a 2010 Nissan Altima on May 17 on Highway 45 near Naval Air Station Meridian when the car veered off the road and struck a tree just before 11 p.m., according to Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Staff Sgt. Andy West.
Thomas, originally from Ohio, was pronounced dead at the scene. West said it was unclear how fast Thomas was going, but the road has a posted speed limit of 65 mph.
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Thomas enlisted in November 2017, and the base’s health clinic was his first duty station, records show.
Members of Thomas’ family did not respond to requests for comment.
He was an avid soccer player who also loved the outdoors and video games, according to his obituary.
Navy accident charts indicate that Thomas is at least the 13th sailor to perish in an off-duty motor vehicle mishap since the federal fiscal year began on Oct. 1.
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