Out-of-control car hits Trooper’s pickup in icy conditions

WASILLA — Icy roads and a mid-winter snowstorm contributed to a number of accidents in the Valley, one of which briefly closed the Parks Highway Monday.

That accident sent three people to the hospital, one of them an Alaska State Trooper.

Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said that Monday morning Alaska Wildlife Trooper Cody Lister, 32, was pulled over on the side of the highway near the Trunk Road exit, checking on a vehicle in the ditch.

Peters said Lister found the driver had already left the scene and so go back into his patrol pickup truck.

Shortly thereafter, she said, Lilia Mardakahava, 37, of Wasilla, “hit a patch of ice, lost control, went across the slow lane of travel, into the ditch, which happened to be exactly where Trooper Lister’s patrol vehicle was.”

After hitting the trooper’s pickup, Peters said Madrakahava’s car caught fire. Passersby pulled her and her two passengers out. Madrakahava and Mary Hoyle, 66, of Wasilla, were both hospitalized. The second passenger, Madrakahava’s daughter, was not.

Lister was also taken to the hospital, but Peters said it was more for observation than anything.

“Two other vehicles went into the ditch right after that happened to avoid hitting debris or avoid crashing their vehicles into another vehicle,” she said.

Central Mat-Su Fire Department Assistant Chief Michael Keenan was at the accident.

“The first thing we did was we just shut the traffic down. It was real, real slick and icy and it wouldn’t be safe to be out there (without traffic shut down),” he said.

The fire in Mardakahava’s car was put out fairly quickly using fire extinguishers and snow.

Peters said the accident closed down the highway for a few hours. It was back open by about 3 p.m. Peters urged people to be careful driving around emergency scenes.

“There are more officers nationwide killed in traffic incidents like that than any other cause,” Peters said.

Keenan said the wreck was one of probably a half-dozen in the Valley Monday.

“It was just real busy on the scanner,” he said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.