Troopers release names of drivers in tour bus crash

HURRICANE — Authorities have identified two drivers involved in a crash that injured about a dozen people on the Parks Highway Monday afternoon.

A Princess Cruises tour bus driven by John Snyder, 21, of Trapper Creek, was stopped in the northbound lane at a railroad crossing about 2:50 p.m., Monday when it was rear-ended by a Lynden Transport semi-truck, driven by Jason Avila, 39, of Wasilla, according to Alaska State Troopers.

The semi was carrying nine pallets of lithium-ion batteries, and leaked between 200 and 300 gallons of diesel fuel onto the highway, requiring a response from Department of Environmental Conservation officials stationed in Fairbanks. The railroad was closed at the crossing temporarily.

The tour bus contained 44 people when it was struck. Mat-Su Borough Emergency Management Director Casey Cook said 12 people, including Avila, were injured in the crash to area hospitals for treatment. Two people were transported by helicopter while 10 went by ground transport, according to Cook. Cook’s figure agrees with figures provided in a Princess Cruises statement, which says that 10 guests and the drivers of both vehicles were taken to local hospitals.

“There were 44 guests on the motor coach and 10 were injured, but thankfully the injuries do not appear to be life-threatening,” the statement reads in part. “The injured guests have been transported to medical facilities for treatment.”

The Parks was closed for three hours while authorities dealt with the crash, and traffic was backed up for miles, according to trooper reports.

At the same time on Monday, a smaller, but more serious collision occurred farther up the Parks Highway — about 60 miles north at Mile 225.

In the northerly wreck, a pickup driven southbound by Glenn Williams, 66, of Kentucky collided with a northbound Nissan Sedan driven by Joshua Huerta, 26, of California Monday at about 3 p.m. Troopers said the crash happened when Huerta attempted to pass another vehicle.

A LifeMed helicopter transported Huerta to an Anchorage-area hospital with life-threatening injuries after a camper jack went through his vehicles windshield and struck him, authorities said.

The crashes are unrelated save for their coincidental and unfortunate timing, according to troopers spokesperson Megan Peters.