Cause sought in fatal crash

WASILLA — Wasilla police continue to investigate the cause of a single-car crash Saturday morning that killed a 21-year-old Wasilla man.

Robert Jacob “Jake” Pevan was partially ejected and pinned beneath the 2000 Mercury Cougar he was driving when the car left the northbound lane of Parks Highway, rolled and came to rest about 25 feet off the right side of the road, about 200 feet before the Church Road intersection.

Deputy Chief Greg Wood said investigators aren’t sure when the accident happened. A passerby phoned in the crash at 5:07 a.m. Wood said police believe the crash happened shortly before the call. Pevan was dead at the scene. There were no witnesses and no one else was in Pevan’s vehicle.

Without any information, they are left trying to piece together what happened.

“At this time, we have no reason to believe alcohol was a factor but we continue to investigate,” Wood said.

Pevan, who attended Wasilla High before graduating from East High School in 2005, was employed at the Anchorage office of Paragon Distributing as a driver, and as a bartender at Houston Lodge.

Tim Weeks, co-owner of Paragon Distributing, described Pevan as a “great kid.”

Pevan had worked at the distributing company for more than a year, never letting the fact he was hearing impaired get in the way of his ability to relate to people.

“The best thing about him was he was willing to learn,” Weeks said. “He was willing to listen.”

That, Weeks said, despite the fact that listening for Pevan might mean reading a text message or communicating verbally only when face-to-face.

“He did not let his handicap get in his way. He never used it as an excuse,” Weeks said. “He was able to communicate.”

Funeral services are 4 p.m. Thursday at Wasilla Bible Church (see obituary on page A9). Pevan’s family has set up a memorial account in Pevan’s name at Wells Fargo to benefit individuals in the deaf community.