Fatalities reported during Memorial Day weekend

MAT-SU -- There were two fatal motor-vehicle crashes in as many days in Mat-Su during the Memorial Day weekend. The first occurred at the start of the weekend, on Friday morning.

Around 10 a.m. Alaska State Troopers were notified of a car versus motorcycle accident in the Sutton area. According to police reports, Reid A. Frojen, 47, of Unalaska, was driving a 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle northbound on the Glenn Highway and crossed the center line, colliding with a truck that was driven by David E. Sandstrom, 18, of Willow. Frojen was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, and Sandstrom was wearing a seat belt, trooper reported.

Frojen suffered serious injuries and was taken by helicopter to Providence Hospital in Anchorage. At approximately 8:30 p.m. Frojen was pronounced dead from his injuries, according to trooper spokesman Greg Wilkinson.

Alcohol was not suspected to be a factor in the crash. Frojen's motorcycle was totaled and Sandstrom's vehicle sustained about $3,000 damage.

On May 25, at approximately 8:40 p.m., troopers reported they responded to a crash on Bogard Road in Wasilla. According to trooper reports, Cory P. Godwin, 22, of Wasilla, crossed the center line in a 1985 Mazda and collided with a 1996 Ford Explorer, driven by Petro M. Kalii, 18, of Wasilla.

Two of Kalii's passengers were taken to Valley hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Godwin had to be extricated from the Mazda and was taken to a Life Flight for transport to the hospital. He was pronounced dead as he was being taken from the ambulance to the helicopter, troopers reported.

Both vehicles sustained extensive damage. Troopers did not say if alcohol was a factor in the crash nor did the report specify if either Godwin, Kalii or Kalii's passengers were wearing seat belts.

Wilkinson said he did not know about seat belt use in the crash but emphasized how their use can increase the chance of survival in a crash. "There are a lot of ways to die in Alaska," he said, "but you have about a 45 percent better chance [of surviving] with them than without."

There were two other serious injury crashes during the weekend, both single-vehicle crashes in which the driver was not wearing a seat belt.

On May 23, at approximately 7:49 p.m. troopers responded to a single-car rollover on Hyer Road. Joseph Daugherty, 23, of Palmer, was reportedly driving a 1986 Subaru at a high speed when he lost control of the vehicle, left the road and hit trees. He was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the car. He was taken by Life Guard to Providence Hospital with serious injures. He was also cited for speeding and not wearing a seat belt. The Subaru was totaled.

In the early morning hours of May 25, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Doug Tanner, 54, was involved in a crash in Big Lake. The Big Lake man was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle, and received serious physical injury as a result, according to trooper reports.

Tanner was taken to Valley Hospital where he was later listed in stable condition. Alcohol was suspected as a factor in that crash.

According to the 2000 Alaska Traffic Accidents report -- the most recent statistics from the Department of Transportation -- the fatality rate for car crashes within Alaska is above the national rate.

The report stated that of the nearly 40,000 people involved in motor-vehicle crashes in 2000, 106 died as the result of their injuries.

Of those, the report stated, 45 might have survived had they been wearing seat belts or other safety equipment.