A Houston man died Sunday after his snowmachine collided with a well casing, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Dewey J. Staloch, 61, was declared dead at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, where he was taken after the accident on Calder Road in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough east of Wasilla.
Troopers responded at 5:50 p.m. to a snowmachine collision to find Staloch, who was riding a 1993 Arctic Cat, had struck a metal well casing in the yard.
He was not wearing a helmet, and alcohol was not a factor in the collision, according to troopers.
In November 2004, Staloch survived a frozen night in the forest after falling into the Nelchina River while hunting with a friend.
His hunting companion, Linda Kakaruk, shot and wounded a caribou near Mile 144.5 Glenn Highway, and together they tracked the animal to the river and killed it, according to a Nov. 2, 2004, Anchorage Daily News report.
Kakaruk returned to the vehicle while Staloch prepared to pack out the carcass.
However, Kakaruk could not relocate Staloch or the kill site.
Troopers found him two days later. He explained to his rescuers that he’d fallen through the ice and was so cold his legs would not work.
He was without a warm coat and unable to make a fire, according to the report at the time. The temperature fell to minus 10 degrees. He skinned the caribou and wrapped himself in the hide.
Troopers reported finding the hide frozen in a cone shape under trees where Staloch was found. He was treated for frostbite and hypothermia in Glennallen.
