Strong winds wreak havoc throughout Mat-Su Borough

BOB MARTINSON/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Winds gusting at nearly 100 miles per hour capsized an 18-wheeler Monday afternoon on the Parks Highway, just south of Trunk Road.

The driver of the southbound rig, James Marty Dean, 41, of Anchorage, was reportedly wearing his seat belt and suffered minor injuries to his head and shoulder, but declined medical treatment.

The 12:40 p.m. accident occurred near the site of the new Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, which is currently under construction. The wreck blocked the on ramp to southbound Parks Highway from Trunk Road and the right lane of the Parks.

Winds were said to be about 85 mph at the time, with gusts reaching nearly 100 mph.

The truck, a 1997 Peterbilt tractor-trailer with doubles, was hauling for Horizon Lines of Alaska. It was on its way from Fairbanks to Anchorage when it lost both of its boxes, twisting the truck's frame like a pretzel as it went over. Plastic sheeting and other garbage from the hospital construction site whipped through guardrails and trees near the scene.

The truck received an estimated $20,000 in damage. No citations were issued.