Alaska State Troopers say a victim of one of the Monday afternoon crashes that closed the Parks Highway remains in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Twenty-six-year-old Joshua Huerta, of California, was taken to an Anchorage hospital by a LifeMed helicopter following a head-on collision at about mile 225 of the Parks Highway, and troopers said they have contacted his next of kin.
According to a trooper account, Huerta was traveling northbound on the Parks Highway, near Cantwell, in a Nissan sedan when he attempted to pass another northbound vehicle. While passing he collided head-on with a pickup truck hauling a camper driven by a 66-year-old Kentucky man, troopers said. The pickup driver, Glenn Williams, attempted to swerve but failed to avoid the collision, troopers said.
During the collision, troopers said, Huerta was struck by a camper jack that went through his vehicle's windshield, causing the life-threatening injuries.
Troopers said Wednesday an investigation into the accident remained open.
Alaska Dispatch Publishing