| Advertisement |
|
|
Alaska State Troopers have identified a Fairbanks man who was killed in a Wednesday crash on the Parks Highway when his car slid and was hit by a tanker tractor-trailer.
A Thursday AST dispatch says troopers were informed just before 3:30 p.m. Wednesday of the crash, at Mile 345 of the Parks. David Yudin, 21, was headed south on the highway in a 2003 Volkswagen passenger car, with a Kenworth tractor towing a tanker and driven by 25-year-old Michael S. Luper headed north.
“Yudin was driving southbound on the Parks Highway when he lost control on a curve,” troopers wrote. “His vehicle careened out of control toward the northbound lane as Luper was approaching.”
Troopers say Luper braked and tried to avoid the collision, but the tractor hit the passenger side of the Volkswagen and both vehicles slid into a ditch on the Parks’ southbound side.
Yudin, who was wearing a seat belt, was declared dead at the scene by medics. Luper wasn’t wearing a seat belt, but was uninjured.
AST spokesperson Megan Peters says the highway was closed until at least 8 p.m. Wednesday as troopers investigated the crash. It has since reopened.
Troopers don’t believe impairment was a factor in the crash, but the state medical examiner’s office was notified. Peters says Yudin’s body will undergo an autopsy, according to standard procedure in fatal highway crashes.
Contact Chris Klint