WASHINGTON — The top U.S. Army officer and several of his staff and aides were among the first to go to the aid of motorists in a bus crash in southeast Washington Wednesday night that left one person dead and three others injured.



Gen. Mark Milley, the chief of staff of the Army, was traveling from Joint Base Andrews to Fort Myer in Virginia in a two-car convoy and came upon the accident.



Police said a Metrobus and a car collided on Suitland Parkway near Stanton Road.



According to Army Lt. Col. Rob Shaw, two soldiers helped pull one person from the car before it caught fire, and two others provided first aid to that person until the ambulance arrived.



According to a person familiar with the incident, Milley helped direct the response and assisted with the first aid. The soldiers were unable to pull the other victim from the car because it was in flames, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.



District Fire and EMS officials said a person inside the car was pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger in the car was taken to the hospital with what authorities said were critical and life-threatening injuries.



Officials said two people on the bus were also transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries



Shaw said the soldiers involved in assisting the crash victim want to remain anonymous and "were simply doing what they believed was the right thing to do — using their military training to help others."



The roadway was shut down due to the crash as crews dealt with a fuel leak from the bus.



