Palmer woman injured in crash on Old Glenn

BUTTE — A Palmer woman was airlifted to Anchorage with life-threatening injuries Friday morning after a severe crash that shut the Old Glenn Highway.

Alaska State Trooper Spokeswoman Megan Peters said that Jesse Greene, 31, of Wasilla, one of the drivers in the crash, reported it at 10:25 a.m. at Mile 6, Glenn Highway.

Peters said Amber Helmann, 32, of Palmer, “was driving southbound on the Old Glenn, she was going around a curve on icy roads, she lost control of the vehicle, it went into the northbound lane.”

That’s where Greene’s pickup, a large, heavy-duty Dodge Ram, hit Helmann’s Nissan Sentra on the right-rear corner panel.

“She was wearing a seat belt; however, it was a pretty big impact,” Peters said. “She does have life-threatening injuries and she’s being treated at Providence (Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage).”

Helmann is in critical condition, according to Providence spokeswoman Kirsten Schultz.

Peters said Helmann was trapped in the Sentra for about 30 minutes while emergency responders worked to extricate her.

The highway was shut down a couple of hours while crews worked to clear the scene, she said.