The 82nd Airborne Division has identified a paratrooper who died last week after being struck by a minivan while he was riding an electric bike as Army Capt. John Nicholson.
The Army did not immediately provide details on Nicholson’s job in the Army, his hometown, or the year he joined, saying only that he was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, the division’s home base.
“The incident is currently under investigation by the Fayetteville Police Department,” the division said in a statement. “Our thoughts and condolences are with the deceased paratrooper’s family, friends, and his unit as they mourn the loss of their loved one.”
An Army line of duty investigation will also look into the circumstances of the crash,an Army official told Task & Purpose on Tuesday. That investigation could take 30 days or more to complete.
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Nicholson, 30, had been traveling from Fort Liberty on Jan. 10 when a minivan rear-ended him while he was riding the electric bike in the left lane of Reilly Road, according to the Fayetteville Police Department, which responded to the incident at 7:17 p.m. that day.
Nicholson died the following day at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center from the injuries he sustained in the crash, police said.
Police have identified the minivan driver as Robert Damron, 61, who has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle, driving on a revoked license, and failure to reduce speed, a Fayetteville Police Department news release says.
Damron turned himself in at the Cumberland County Detention Center and he is currency free on $50,000 unsecured bond, police said.
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