Student from Sigonella, sailor killed in crash

Student from Sigonella, sailor killed in crash
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, January 30, 2008

A Sigonella High School junior and a sailor stationed on that Navy base in Sicily were killed Saturday afternoon in a head-on car crash, a Navy official said Tuesday.

Seaman Mark Gipson, 20, and Michael Hancock, 17, were pronounced dead at the scene of the 2:30 p.m. crash, said Navy Lt. Jon Groveman, spokesman for Naval Air Station Sigonella.

Two Italians traveling in another car were injured.

Hancock and Gipson, a master-at-arms and the driver, were on local roadway SS-417, Groveman said. Even though it’s only a two-lane road — one lane in each direction — connecting the two Navy bases, it is considered a major thoroughfare. Groveman did not know what kind of car Gipson was driving.

Hancock was a popular student, a leader among his peers at Sigonella High and involved in a number of extracurricular activities such as Junior ROTC, principal Sonny Bertschinger said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52042

That is just terrible. My prayers go out to their families.

I must say that Italy is one of the most dangerous places in the world to drive in my opinion. They believe that the roads, no matter how many lanes, fit as many cars as can fit on the side by side. The craziest is Saudi Arabia and third I would say is Brazil. I would not drive in Saudi Arabia because it was just to scary with the traffic and the speed at which they drive. Of course there are many many places that I have not been so others may have a different opinion.

Raebrek!!!