A head-on collision Sunday evening north of Seward involving an erratic driver sent three people to area hospitals and closed the Seward Highway for hours, Alaska State Troopers said.
Troopers said multiple people reported the driver to Seward police, saying a car was driving in the wrong lane of traffic and nearly hit pedestrians.
Seward police informed troopers just after 5 p.m. Sunday that they were pursuing the vehicle – a blue 2006 Toyota Corolla sedan, according to an online trooper report.
After the Corolla eluded Seward police, troopers began receiving reports of a dangerous vehicle matching the same description near Mile 4 of the highway, still driving in the oncoming lane. A trooper in a patrol vehicle tried to stop the Corolla at Mile 10 then began to pursue it, troopers said, “due to the extreme danger that the driver presented to the other drivers on the Seward Highway.”
“Moments later, the suspect vehicle collided with a vehicle traveling in the southbound lane near (M)ile 13 of the Seward Highway,” troopers said. “Both adult male occupants of the suspect vehicle were ejected from the vehicle.”
Both men were flown to an Anchorage hospital with serious injuries, troopers said. A third man, the driver and sole occupant of the struck vehicle, was treated at a Seward hospital and was in stable condition Monday morning.
Troopers closed the highway for about six hours Sunday evening as they investigated the collision and cleared the vehicles involved.
Investigators ask anyone who has imagery or video of the Corolla being driven erratically between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, or had to take evasive action to avoid it, to call them at 907-262-4453. They said the car’s license plate is GVE 431.
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.
