Two sailors are in critical condition Monday after a group of Navy officers attending flight training in Pensacola, Florida, were struck by a civilian drunk driver.

The sailors were on liberty and walking down Perdido Key Drive Saturday around 8 p.m. when police allege a 56-year-old driver, Eric Watt, struck the group, according to local media reports. Watt was arrested for driving under the influence.

The victims were transported to three local hospitals, according to an internal Navy report on the incident obtained by Navy Times.

The injuries range from critical and serious to minor, the police said. 

Six of the officers were treated and released from the hospital and have returned to the command, said Lt. Cmdr. Kate Meadows, spokesperson for Naval Education and Training Command. The two most seriously injured are still hospitalized, she said.

The officers were all in the early stages of flight training, Meadows said.

The incident is being investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol, the report said.

About David B. Larter

David B. Larter was the naval warfare reporter for Defense News.

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