Vehicle accidents on the rise

Winter driving on Valley roads seems worse than usual, with a number of accidents resulting in serious injury and death. As a result, motorists are being asked to slow down.

In the past two months, three people died on the Parks Highway, a dozen others suffered near fatal injuries, and according to police and Alaska State Trooper logs, more than 60 people were sent in ambulances to the hospital.

Trooper Capt. Simon Brown II said the problem could be that Valley residents have relaxed a little in the long break from snow.

"The perception is that it's safe to go normal speeds, when in reality, the roads have been pretty slick," he said.

According to trooper numbers compiled by data analyst Bobbie Weigman, between Oct. 1 and Dec. 18 troopers responded to 347 damage accidents, 68 injury accidents and four fatalities. They also reported 140 motorists ended up in ditches.

For the same period last year, there were 234 damage accidents, 56 injury accidents and 79 people who landed in ditches. There were three fatalities in that time period.

Numerous drivers at accident scenes were cited for basic speed violations this winter, said Greg Wilkinson, trooper spokesman.

"Regardless of the posted speed, drivers can be cited for going faster than road conditions allow," he said. "What we have posted in the 55 and 65 mph is really too fast for most conditions and it behooves people to slow down."

Of the 22 accidents reported last weekend, at least two were considered near fatal.

At 5 p.m. Dec. 14, at Mile 37 Glenn Hwy., troopers reported that a dark-colored truck left the parking lot of the Pole Lock Farm bar and struck the rear of a 2001 Honda CRV, driven by David Hensley, 46, of Palmer who was northbound on the Glenn Highway. This caused Hensley's vehicle to spin out of control and collide with a green Pontiac Grand Am driven by Misty Holcomb, 20. Passenger Debra Hensley was thrown from the vehicle and all were transported to Valley Hospital.

Debra Hensley was discharged from Valley Hospital a day later, said hospital supervisor Greta Banning. Misty Holcomb and David Hensley were treated and released. The driver who left the Pole Lock Farm is under police investigation, according to trooper reports.

Across town a few hours later, at 7:40 p.m. near the Frontier Mall, Wasilla Police responded to another accident that sent two teen-age girls to the hospital. Julie Menerey, 16, and Sally Fielder, 17, were trapped in a 1995 Beretta after Menerey's vehicle apparently slid on icy roads and lost control, crossing over the center line into on-coming traffic where her vehicle was struck in the side.

Menerey remains in critical condition and has not regained consciousness from the wreck. Fielder has been transferred from Valley Hospital to Providence Alaska Medical Center.

One of the drivers in the fatal wreck Nov. 20 on the Parks Highway that took the life of 5-year-old Floyd Mack remains in critical condition four weeks later. John Knauss, 41, remains in the intensive care unit at Providence Hospital. He is suspected of driving drunk, but no details from the trooper investigation have been released yet.

Former Alaska State Trooper Ed Stauber and his son Mason, 25, were killed in a vehicle accident Dec. 8, on the Parks Highway while coming back from his daughter's wedding in Talkeetna. Trooper investigators aren't sure if icy roads or a moose caused that accident.

"It seems like every week we're reading about another fatality," Brown said.

At Happy Hooker Towing, which is on the rotation list for calls from police dispatchers, "it's been real busy lately," according to owner Wade Behn.

"We're towing between 10 and 25 a day," Behn said. "Yesterday we towed about 20, and that's busy for us."

Corey Tallman, owner of Wolverine Towing, agreed it has been a bad winter for accidents, though he says that does come with the season.

"In town, we're getting the fender benders," he said. "Out of town, a lot of vehicles are taking the ditch."

Curt Devon, Department of Transportation's Mat-Su superintendent, said it feels like a fairly normal winter when it comes to laying sand on roads.

"The biggest problem my guys see is that people are driving too fast," Devon said. "You can drive on any road, even the Old Glenn, and if you're driving 55, drivers are right on your tail. Even at 55, that road is not comfortable."

Frost on the roads with sub-zero temperatures is much harder to get rid of than snow, Devon said.

"Asphalt is a porous material," he said. "Frost goes into the pores and you can't scrape that out, so you get a a glaze and it's slippery out. People can't see that and they tend not to slow down."