In The News
Pickup driver walks away from wreck with semi in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska state troopers say an Anchorage man walked away from a Seward Highway crash without injuries last Sunday evening after a semi rear-ended and totaled his pickup truck at McHugh Creek.
Troopers said in a Tuesday dispatch that they responded to the crash near Mile 112 of the highway, at about 7:35 p.m. Sunday, according to an article posted by Anchorage television station KTUU.
"Investigation revealed Nicholas Webb, 35 of Anchorage, was driving southbound in his 1995 GMC pickup and stopped on the Seward Highway to turn left into the McHugh Creek turn-off, waiting for northbound traffic to clear," troopers wrote. "A 2013 Peterbilt semi tractor pulling two trailers, [which] was following behind the pickup, failed to stop and rear-ended the pickup truck that was turning left."
According to the station's report, the damaged Peterbilt was labeled as a Pacific Alaska Freightways truck.
Staff at PAF refused to comment on the incident Wednesday, or confirm that the company operated the truck.
PAF is headquartered in Fife, Washington, according to records at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The carrier said it has 45 power units and 39 drivers.
Until the accident Sunday, the carrier had not been involved in a reportable accident during the prior 24 months, FMCSA records show.
Both Webb and the semi's driver, 40-year-old Justin Moulton, reported wearing their seat belts and suffering no injuries in the collision. The Peterbilt received about $3,000 of damage in the crash.
Moulton was cited for failing to exercise due care to avoid a collision.
Sunday's crash came two days after a similar Seward Highway collision involving a tour bus killed 55-year-old John Zollner III, sending both his wife and her daughter to Anchorage for treatment of serious injuries.
Troopers haven't yet identified the driver of the northbound Park Connection bus carrying 42 passengers which rear-ended a truck waiting for a vehicle making a left turn into the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, then moved into the southbound lane and hit Zollner's GMC Yukon.
The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at [email protected].