Anchorage

1 dead, 1 critical after head-on collision on Seward Highway

A head-on collision on the Seward Highway north of Girdwood late Friday morning killed one person and critically injured another, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers said a Ford truck was traveling northbound around Mile 96 when the driver lost control. A Chevrolet sedan was traveling southbound and pulled to the side of the road, said Beth Ipsen, troopers spokeswoman, "we assume, to avoid the crash."

The vehicles collided head-on. A 911 caller reported the crash shortly before 11 a.m., troopers said.

Ipsen said the man driving the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

She said there was at least one other vehicle involved in the wreck and other passengers were taken to the hospital with injuries. "I don't know the severity or how many people," she said.

Ipsen said road conditions Friday afternoon along Turnagain Arm were slick. Snow was falling and visibility was reduced, barring a LifeMed helicopter from responding to the crash, she said.

The crash halted Seward Highway traffic in both directions until early afternoon.

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In addition to the fatal wreck, troopers received reports about other commuters in distress along the slick highway.

Earlier on Friday, both outbound lanes of the Glenn Highway near the Birchwood overpass were closed due to a vehicle fire, according to an Anchorage Police Department news release.

Tegan Hanlon

Tegan Hanlon was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News between 2013 and 2019. She now reports for Alaska Public Media.

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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