Driver accused of deliberately causing accident that killed soldier

The Canadian Forces military police will investigate reports an Afghan truck driver deliberately rammed into a convoy, killing an Alberta soldier.

Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment was killed on Aug. 5 when the armoured vehicle he was travelling in collided head-on with a local truck on a road35 kilometres southeast of Kandahar.

The crash also left Cpl. Jared Gagnon of Sherwood Park, Alta., in a coma.

Several members of the regiment have accused the truck driver of deliberately ramming the last vehicle in the convoy so he could get compensation, said Lt.-Col. Hans Brink, acting commanding officer.

They say the driver asked for compensation after the accident, then went to the base the next day to make his demand again, said Brink.

"No doubt that portion of it will come out in the board of inquiry," Brink said.

"Regardless of the circumstances, the whole thing is tragic."

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is asked to investigate any time a member of the Canadian Forces is hurt or killed.

First regiment loss since Second World War

The soldiers were delivering medical supplies to an outpost near the Afghan-Pakistani border when the Aug. 5 collision occurred.

Arndt's death marked the first time a member of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment has been lost during operations since the last days of the Second World War. Two of the three soldiers injured in the crash were alsowith the regiment.

Arndt's funeral will be Wednesday in Edson, 200 kilometres west of Edmonton.