1 dead in Parks Highway rollover

WILLOW — A newspaper carrier rolled his pickup truck on the Parks Highway Monday and managed to escape the wreckage, but later succumbed to his injuries.

Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said Zackary Green, 19, of Willow, had finished delivering papers for the Anchorage Daily News at around 8:45 a.m. when he briefly nodded off near Kashwitna Lake.

“He fell asleep at the wheel and he came to when he was on the shoulder and he overcorrected and went across the road and into the ditch on the opposite side of the road,” Ipsen said.

The pickup rolled over into the ditch, coming to rest on its wheels.

“He was able to actually get out of the truck and he was talking and coherent when EMS showed up,” Ipsen said. “But he died shortly afterwards.”

Deputy Director of Emergency Services for the Mat-Su Borough Clint Vardeman said medics and rescuers were called to the scene at 8:45 a.m.

The caller described the incident as a “car rolled over in the swamp, steam or smoke coming from vehicle,” Vardeman said, reading from dispatch logs.

Medics arrived at 9:07 a.m. and started CPR at 9:24 a.m. An air ambulance touched down 20 minutes later, but wasn’t needed. The driver was declared dead at 9:55 a.m.

Ipsen said no one else was in the vehicle with Green and no witnessed the crash, except for a few drivers that came upon the scene after the Jeep had stopped rolling.

She said the highway was shut down for about 30 minutes while troopers worked the scene. She said as per usual, Green’s body will be taken in for an autopsy.

“We don’t suspect alcohol or drugs were involved,” she said.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.