Anchorage police say the driver of a semi was injured late Tuesday when his truck veered off the Seward Highway and crashed into the waters of Turnagain Arm near Portage.
Anchorage police spokeswoman Renee Oistad said officers responded just after 11 p.m. Tuesday to “a semi that had gone into the water” at Mile 82.5 of the highway.
“The preliminary investigation indicates the semi-truck, which was hauling one trailer, was being driven southbound on the Seward Highway when the driver lost control and veered offroad into (the water),” Oistad wrote in an email late Wednesday morning.
Oistad said the driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, which didn’t involve any other vehicles. The driver was the sole occupant of the semi, which was not carrying any hazardous materials.
Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, with no charges or citations issued.
Kelly Rawalt, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said Wednesday afternoon that the truck was carrying empty fish totes at the time of the crash. No fuel has reportedly been released from the vehicle, and DEC officials planned to fly a drone over it if conditions allow them to.
A photo of the semi taken by William Yenney showed the truck upright in the water and submerged up to its windshield, with two responders examining it from shore.
Justin Shelby, with the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, said the truck had shifted from its original position Wednesday morning as it was moved by the arm’s strong tides. No department staff initially responded to the crash, he said.
Yenney said Wednesday morning that flaggers were diverting traffic in the area when he took the photo. According to Oistad, the highway is currently open, as Vulcan Towing plans to remove the semi from the water.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the location of the crash. It happened near Portage, not near Indian.
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.
