Skagway mayor, mother die after being hit by DC bus

The mayor of Skagway and her mother were killed Wednesday evening in a bus crash in Washington, D.C., said D.C. Metropolitan police.

Investigators said Monica Adams Carlson, 61, of Skagway and her mother, 85-year-old Cora Louise Adams of Elbe, Washington, were crossing the street when a Prevost HS passenger bus that was traveling northbound on Seventh Street turned left onto Pennsylvania Avenue, striking the two women. The crash happened about a block north of the National Mall, next to the National Archives.

The two were taken to a nearby hospital for life-threatening injuries, where they died.

Carlson unseated two-term incumbent mayor Mark Schaefer as a write-in candidate in the Southeast Alaska community in 2017. Her brother-in-law, Steve Hites, who also lives in Skagway, said members of the town were “in an uproar” at the prospect of Schaefer serving again, and Carlson, out of a sense of duty, “threw her hat in the ring on the last day at the last minute." She was elected by a wide margin and, Hites said, received a note from U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski congratulating her on the win.

“I think Monica’s greatest attribute was her ability to listen to what people wanted,” Hites said.

Aside from serving as mayor, which Hites called “a labor of love,” Carlson also worked as the director of tour operations for the Skagway Street Car Co., which Hites manages. Before that, she worked for a number of years as a tour conductor for the company and served as a Skagway Assembly member, he said.

“The staff and borough assembly of the Municipality of Skagway are extremely saddened to have learned that Mayor Monica Carlson and her mother were involved in a tragic accident in Washington, D.C., last night and did not recover from their injuries," Skagway Borough Clerk Emily Deach said in a statement Thursday. "The municipality does not have any further details at this time. We ask that the family’s privacy is respected through this grieving process. This is a devastating loss to Monica’s family, friends, and community.”

The Washington Post reported that the driver of the bus tested negative for drugs and cooperated with police investigators. A representative from the American Bus Association, acting on behalf of the company that had been operating the bus, told The Post that the driver had 18 years of experience.

The company, Maryland-based Eyre Bus, Tour & Travel, did not immediately respond to the ADN’s requests for comment Thursday.

Hites said Carlson’s trip to Washington, D.C., was a “spur of the moment decision.” She didn’t travel often, but when given the opportunity through U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan’s office to tour the White House, she jumped at it, he said. She brought her mother along.

A representative of Sen. Sullivan, R-Alaska, confirmed that Carlson and Adams had toured the White House earlier Wednesday. They had only been in the city for a day when they were killed.

Adams, Hites said, was a “spunky, self-determined self-starter” who ran a hamburger stand along the side of the road in Elbe, Washington, where she lived. She also served in the volunteer fire department. She was very close with her daughter, he said, and proud of Carlson’s accomplishments as mayor and an assembly member.

Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who met with Carlson in August, said in a statement Thursday that he was impressed with her dedication to her community.

“As a Skagway native and mother, Mayor Carlson was a spirited, focused and devoted public servant. Anne and I are praying for the Carlson family and the city of Skagway during this difficult time,” Young said.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy directed state flags to fly at half-staff on Jan. 1 in Carlson’s honor, which Hites called “the greatest honor any Alaskan" could have.

“I don’t understand the reason for this, but I do know that Monica wasn’t quite done, and Cora would have lived another 10 years, she was that kind of gal,” Hites said. “So whatever the purpose of this is, I hope we’re able to find it and work toward what Monica wanted for her city.”