Trooper injured in car crash

WILLOW — An Alaska State Trooper responding to a call Sunday evening wound up in the hospital after a crash on the Parks Highway.

Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said that the trooper, Kevin Blanchette with the Talkeetna Post, called the crash in at 7:25 p.m. near Mile 89 of the highway.

“It looks like he was turning around on the highway to respond to a call when he was struck by a pickup truck,” Peters said. “Both him and the other driver were transported to Mat-Su Regional for non-life-threatening injuries.”

The other driver was identified in a trooper press release as Michael Stevenson, 20, of Talkeetna. The call Blanchette was responding to, according to the press release, was a possible drunk driver. The trooper was making a u-turn when he was hit.

Peters said she did not know more about the extent of anyone’s injuries.

“I know that the trooper vehicle is estimated to be a total loss. There was significant damage to the pickup but I don’t know if it’s totaled,” Peters said.

The press release says both vehicles were towed from the scene. The troopers’ Bureau of Highway Patrol has taken responsibility for investigating the crash.

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