Update 7:15 a.m. Friday:
Alaska State Troopers say both of the drivers killed in Wednesday’s crash on the Parks Highway in Houston were Willow residents.
According to troopers, 53-year-old Melissa Keown and 71-year-old Michael Vial were driving the Honda Pilot and Chevrolet pickup truck involved in the crash. Their families have been notified.
A Facebook post from the Houston Fire Department Thursday afternoon thanked the many people who assisted at the crash site, from off-duty Willow Caswell Lakes responders who triaged the scene to traffic controllers who routed vehicles around the wreck and witnesses who remained to explain what happened.
“Tragedy occurred, but so did community and compassion,” firefighters wrote. “Our hearts were both broken and comforted yesterday evening.”
Original story:
Both drivers involved in a head-on Parks Highway collision in Houston were killed Wednesday evening, Alaska State Troopers say.
According to a statement, troopers responded to the wreck at Mile 58 of the highway just after 5:30 p.m. The crash involved a Honda Pilot SUV and a Chevrolet pickup truck, with nobody else in either vehicle.
The drivers were wearing seat belts, but both were declared dead at the scene.
Troopers haven’t yet released the drivers’ names, pending notification of their families. The collision remains under investigation.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
