Troopers release names in fatal accident

CHICKALOON — Alaska State Troopers have confirmed all three people inside a car found upside down in a pond Thursday have died. Troopers have also released their names.

According to a trooper press statement, Leah Thompson, 28, of Valdez, and her two children, Avery McIntosh, 5, and Trinity McIntosh, 7, were killed. Thompson was pronounced dead on scene, the children upon reaching Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Thompson was a former student at the Alaska Job Corps Center in Palmer. The wreck was reported at 4:47 p.m. by a passerby. Emergency responders said it went into a small pond across the Glenn Highway from Long Lake. It was unclear how long it had been submerged.

Troopers say Thompson apparently lost control of the Toyota SUV she was driving and slid off the road. Weather conditions at the time were severe with heavy snowfall coupled with strong winds.