Alcohol suspected in fatal rollover

WASILLA -- Two Wasilla men were involved in a car crash that left the driver dead when his truck rolled over on Pittman Road Tuesday night, Alaska State Troopers reported.

Christian D. Hadley, 33, was driving north on Pittman Road in his 2002 Silver Toyota Tundra when he lost control of the vehicle as it came around a corner. Hadley overcorrected, and the truck rolled over, partially ejecting him from the cab of the truck. He was not wearing a seat belt.

His passenger, Michael Melland, 24, was wearing a seat belt and sustained no injuries in the crash. The two had reportedly been consuming alcohol at a bar and a residence throughout the course of the evening, troopers said, and alcohol is suspected as a factor in the crash.

Emergency medical services responded and pronounced Hadley dead at the scene. Melland was arrested by state troopers on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a charge of driving with a suspended license. He was transported to Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility and held in lieu of $2,000 bail.

"This was a very survivable crash," trooper spokesman Greg Wilkinson said. "If [Hadley] had been wearing his seat belt, he could have walked away from this. His passenger just went to jail; he went to the morgue."

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.com.