Crime & Courts

Car crash near Juneau injures, entraps man overnight

A man spent a rough night near Juneau trapped in a crashed vehicle on Douglas Island Saturday evening, according to local police.

The 48-year-old man, who wasn't identified in a Juneau Police Department statement, was reported missing to police at about 9 a.m. Sunday after family members were unable to find him or contact him by phone.

About 40 minutes after being told the man was missing, police heard from two hikers near the end of North Douglas who had found the man alone after hearing him yelling for help.

"(The man) was located inside his vehicle, which was about 100 feet off the road and into the trees," police wrote. "(He) was pinned in the vehicle and unable to get out. He said he was very cold and had been there all night."

Public information officer Erann Kalwara said the end of the highway features a kind of cul-de-sac with a trail head. The driver went beyond the end of the road through dense trees and shrubs, Kalwara said.

The man was extricated from the vehicle by Capital City Fire and Rescue medics, then taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital. Kalwara said the latest update the police department has on the man came in Sunday evening. He may be getting treatment in Seattle, she said.

Police said "medical issues" are believed to be a factor in the crash.

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