Combs returns to work after vehicle rollover

WASILLA — It only took a split second for the driver to lose control of the truck on dangerous black ice. The truck spun and rolled three times before coming to a stop near the intersection of the Parks Highway and Hyer Road.

The next thing John Combs remembers is talking to an Alaska State Trooper.

“I noticed the road was a little darker down there, but didn’t know much about it, then all of the sudden the back of my pickup was where the front should be,” Combs said of the Nov. 28 single-vehicle accident that left him banged up. “The next think I knew, I was talking to a trooper.”

Combs, former Palmer mayor and now director of recreational and cultural services for the city of Wasilla, was on his way home from work when he struck a patch of black ice and rolled his truck. Troopers report responding to the rollover at 5:26 p.m., and say Combs had to be extricated from the truck. No charges or citations were issued, AST spokeswoman Megan Peters said, adding that icy roads and driving too fast for conditions contributed to the accident.

A little more than a month removed, Combs said he’s back at work full-time. He suffered a concussion and broken ribs, but overall, “I’m mending up just fine,” he said. “I’m healing up. It kind of felt like I’d been in the ring with about four guys and I didn’t take them on as well as I could have, so I felt kind of beat up.”

According to city policy, Wasilla mayor Verne Rupright said he was notified of Combs’ accident that evening.

“We were notified the afternoon it happened, so my chief (of police) checked up on it,” he said. “Of course, the first thing I checked was to make sure he wasn’t impaired, and he wasn’t.”

Combs said he’s thankful the city has worked with him to get back on the job.

“He’s been eager to get back,” Rupright said, “but I told him to take whatever time you need.”

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.