Three people were taken to hospitals and about 900 gallons of oil was spilled early Tuesday when a semi pulling tanker trailers collided with a pickup truck near Ninilchik on the Sterling Highway, officials said.
Troopers were called to Mile 142, about 7 miles south of Ninilchik on the Kenai Peninsula, at 7:14 a.m., spokesman Tim DeSpain said in an email.
A northbound semi pulling tanks of crude oil, driven by Aaron Miller, 47, of Homer, was struck head-on at an angle on the passenger side by a southbound Ford F-150 pickup driven by Yvette Lemaster, 57, of Anchorage, troopers wrote in an online statement.
Lemaster suffered severe injuries and was flown to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, troopers said. A passenger in the pickup and Miller were brought to Southern Peninsula Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to troopers.
The Carlile Transportation Systems tractor-trailer was carrying about 12,500 gallons of crude oil in two tanks, the Department of Environmental Conservation said in an online statement. One of the trailers was damaged, and the department estimated about 900 gallons of crude oil had spilled.
Remaining oil was removed from the tank by Tuesday afternoon and it was no longer leaking, the statement said.
No immediate impacts to wildlife were reported, but the extent of environmental contamination is under investigation, the department said.
Investigation is ongoing into the cause of the crash, troopers said.