A woman died late Wednesday in a single-vehicle SUV crash near Ketchikan, with one of her five passengers severely injured and subsequently flown to Anchorage, Alaska State Troopers said.
The driver, identified by troopers in a Thursday dispatch as 43-year-old Ketchikan resident Verna Edenshaw, was declared dead at the scene near Mile 5 of the South Tongass Highway. Troopers responded to the wreck after receiving a 911 call at about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday.
"Five passengers were in the vehicle with Edenshaw," troopers wrote. "One injured female, identified as Melissa Williams, 26, of Saxman, sustained serious injuries and was transported to a hospital in Anchorage for treatment. The four other passengers were transported to Peacehealth Medical Center in Ketchikan to be evaluated."
According to troopers spokesperson Megan Peters, the vehicle involved in the crash was a Dodge Durango. Peters said in an email that injuries to the evaluated passengers were "minor if any."
Troopers said next of kin for both Edenshaw and Williams had been notified of the crash.