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Teen driver dies in 3-vehicle Wasilla crash

a trooper car
An Alaska State Trooper K-9 Unit SUV in Anchorage. (Joey Mendolia/Alaska Public Media)

A teenage driver died Thursday afternoon in a car crash in Wasilla, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers said in an online dispatch that 911 calls about the collision on North Seward Meridian Parkway came in just before 1 p.m. Thursday. Jessalyn Helms, 19, was severely injured in the crash and taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, where she died, troopers said.

Troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said Helms had been driving a Honda sedan in the three-vehicle collision, which occurred near Cottonwood Elementary School at the parkway’s intersection with East Country Field Circle. One other person was taken to a hospital after the crash as a precaution.

A preliminary investigation showed that the crash occurred when Helms failed to yield to another vehicle, McDaniel said.

Troopers said Helms’ next of kin have been notified.

Chris worked at Alaska Public Media from 2022 to 2025. He was a web producer and breaking news reporter.