Wasilla woman injured in collision at Hatcher Pass

HATCHER PASS — A Wasilla woman was airlifted from Hatcher Pass Sunday afternoon with neck and back injuries after the Ford Bronco she was driving was struck by a pickup truck on extremely icy roads.

Jordan Livingston, 19, was taken to Providence Alaska Medical Center by LifeGuard helicopter shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday. No information on her condition was available Monday.

The road across the pass was closed for the season on Monday.

According to Alaska State Parks Hatcher Pass area Ranger Kim Miller, Livingston and a passenger were driving up the seasonal access road that runs over Hatcher Pass when a vehicle in front of them lost control.

“A truck slid backwards down the road, hit a Bronco and the Bronco was pushed into the ditch,” Miller said.

Miller said the force of the Bronco sliding backward into the ditch was enough to slam Livingston’s head into the vehicle’s windshield, then back into the driver’s seat. Livingston’s passenger was uninjured.

The driver of the pickup, Louis Petkies, of Illinois, and a passenger were also uninjured in the collision, Miller said.

Miller, along with Palmer Emergency Services, responded to the accident after dispatch received a 911 call at about 3:24 p.m. Livingston was driven down the icy road in the back of an emergency services pickup truck before being transferred to the helicopter.

Conditions Sunday were extremely icy and a warning sign at the road’s entrance strongly recommended using chains.

“It didn’t stop anybody,” Miller said.

Miller said the road was so icy a tow truck was unable to make it to where Livingston’s Bronco slid into the ditch until Monday. The access road was closed for about three hours Sunday, stranding more than a dozen vehicles above the spot where the accident occurred.

On Monday, the Alaska Department of Transportation made the decision to close the road to vehicle traffic for the season after consulting with the state Parks Department. Ranger Miller said the road typically stays open into late October, but early snow at higher elevations in the pass this year have made conditions too dangerous.

“As soon as it’s deemed a public safety risk, we close the road,” she said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com or 352-2265.