Anchorage Daily News

INDIAN -- A driver fell asleep at the wheel on the Seward Highway in Indian on Sunday afternoon and crashed into a pedestrian bridge guardrail, then bounced across the highway, Alaska State Troopers said.

The Subaru Forester hit the guardrail on the other side, too, but no other vehicles. Everyone survived, but a passenger broke a leg.

The crash happened about 5:30 p.m. on a busy holiday weekend when the highway is packed with Anchorage residents heading home after fishing, camping or just getting away on the Kenai Peninsula.

Troopers closed the highway for about 45 minutes, and northbound traffic backed up for 12 miles, said Trooper Jeff Simpson of the Girdwood post.

The Subaru driver, whose name wasn't available, had been fishing in Seward and was returning to Anchorage when he fell asleep, Simpson said. One of the two passengers broke a leg and the other suffered minor injuries, troopers said.

Traffic took a while to get moving again. That's typical.

"People get out and start playing catch and barbecuing and not paying attention to traffic," Simpson said. "From there, it gets backed up farther because people aren't moving with traffic when it starts moving."

ADVERTISEMENT