BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. -- A local member of the Florida National Guard has died after crashing an Army Humvee.
The crash happened on U.S. 301, four miles north of Lawtey.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Arandall Ladarrion Shears, 20, was on his way back to the Army National Guard headquarters on Normandy Boulevard when the accident occurred.
"The military vehicle was traveling northbound on U.S. 301 and attempted to make a lane change at which point he lost control of the vehicle and went into the grass center median and overturned," said Sgt. Dylan Bryan of the Florida Highway Patrol.
According to FHP, Shears was ejected from the vehicle and was thrown onto the center median.
Almost immediately after the crash several passers-by stopped to help the soldier.
One of those good Samaritans was the director of the Bradford County emergency management who happened to be driving by and saw the accident.
He found Shears unresponsive.
"At that time he was breathing and had a pulse and, luckily, within a minute a nurse from Shands of Gainesville pulled up. She assisted and also a passer-by assisted," said Brian Johns, director of the Bradford County Emergency Management.
Johns, along with the nurse, performed CPR for about 10 minutes until the ambulance arrived.
The Humvee ended up on the shoulder of the southound lanes while the cargo it was carrying scattered across one of those lanes.
"The vehicle lost its load, which was a satellite communications piece," said Bryan.
Shears was airlifted to UF & Shands Hospital in Gainesville where he later died.
The military vehicle belonged to the U.S. Army National Guard, 146th Signal Battalion.
It is still unclear why Shears lost control of the vehicle. FHP is investigating if speed was a factor and whether he was wearing his seat belt.
