The Pentagon yesterday issued a 15-page report that debunks many of the myths that grew around the case of Jessica Lynch, the teenage US soldier who was injured during the Iraq war. She became a household name after reports that she was taken prisoner of war after she was shot and stabbed by Iraqis. Her story grew even larger when the military staged a dramatic videotape rescue of her from an Iraqi hospital.

The Pentagon now says Lynch suffered “horrific injuries” not at the hands of Iraqis but from an automobile accident. Her convoy’s Humvee crashed after it got lost and then came under enemy fire. Reports that Lynch heroically fought Iraqis by firing all her ammunition until it ran out and reports that she was shot and stabbed by her captors all proved to be untrue. These details all became top stories in the U.S. press based on intelligence intercepts and reports from military officials.

In addition a Pentagon source told the Washington Times, that Lynch survived “principally because of the medical attention she received from the Iraqis.”