Moose 2, trucks 1

MAT-SU -- A Talkeetna-area moose apparently bagged two vehicles on the Parks Highway between last Sunday night and Monday morning.

Alaska State Troopers responded at 8:05 a.m. to a truck-versus-moose accident call at Mile 86.5 Parks Hwy. William J. Krostek, 54, of Wasilla reported to troopers that he had been driving north on the highway and was unable to stop for a dead moose that was in the middle of the northbound lane.

Krostek was not injured, but the collision reportedly damaged the steering to his 2001 Dodge truck.

Troopers investigating the scene discovered fragments that indicated that the moose was struck initially by a 1994 or 1995 General Motors vehicle with blue metal flake paint, although they had received no information concerning such a collision. They reportedly found no skid marks from the blue vehicle at the scene. Troopers said the moose had walked onto the roadway in an area with good visibility on the side of the highway.

According to Alaska Hunting Regulations No. 43, any big game animal killed or injured by a vehicle belongs to the state. The regulation requires that anyone hitting a big game animal notify the Alaska State Troopers Division of Fish and Wildlife Protection as soon as possible.

Troopers are still investigating the case.