Charles T. Fairbairn, Wendell T. Cerio Death – Two soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state lost their lives after their vehicle was struck by an alleged drunk driver traveling in the wrong direction on a local highway, as reported by the Army.
Spc. Charles T. Fairbairn, aged 29, and Spc. Wendell T. Cerio, aged 22, were the victims of the crash that occurred early Sunday morning, according to the Washington State Patrol. Another soldier who was in the vehicle at the time of the accident sustained injuries and was treated at a hospital before being discharged.
JBLM representative Matt Pargett informed The Seattle Times via email that Fairbairn served as an infantryman while Cerio was a combat medic.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of two soldiers from the 7th Infantry Division due to an off-post vehicle collision,” Pargett stated.
The incident is currently being investigated.
Fairbairn was driving a Chrysler 300 westbound on Highway 12 near the military base located south of Tacoma when a Ford Edge SUV traveling in the wrong direction collided with his sedan. The 23-year-old SUV driver and a 19-year-old passenger were also injured and taken to a hospital. Fortunately, a baby in the SUV was unharmed.
The SUV driver was arrested on two charges of DUI vehicular homicide, as announced by Washington State Patrol Trooper John Dattilo on the social media platform X.
“Any issues identified in the report/investigation will be corrected immediately,
This post is for informational purposes. The information provided there is made available to the public by law enforcement agencies. Readers are reminded that all allegations or allegations of wrongdoing referred to within the article are mere allegations and that all persons are innocent until proven guilty in court. ]
