An Anchor Point man died of injuries he suffered in a Saturday Sterling Highway crash that left two other people also injured, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Troopers learned Sunday of 53-year-old Dale Keefer's death, according to an AST dispatch. His next of kin have been notified, and the state medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy on his body. Keefer was the sole passenger of a Pontiac Transport van headed south Saturday morning near Mile 155 of the Sterling. Fellow Anchor Point resident Richard Twing, 24, was behind the wheel. A 1997 Ford Expedition headed north, carrying four children and driven by 29-year-old Arwen Weisser of Homer, crossed the highway's center line and struck the Pontiac in "an offset head-on crash," according to troopers. Troopers and medics responded to the crash at about 11 a.m. Saturday. Everyone in both vehicles was taken to South Peninsula Hospital, but according to AST spokesperson Megan Peters, only the adults in the crash were injured. "It looks like none of the kids were injured -- they were just transported with their mom," Peters said. Troopers described only Keefer's injuries as life-threatening. Providence Alaska Medical Center officials say Twing was transported from Homer to their facility, where he was listed in fair condition Monday. Peters says that while the crash remains under investigation, no charges have been filed. Troopers believe poor road conditions were a factor in the crash, with no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved pending a review of toxicology results. "It sounds like one vehicle just lost control and crossed the center line," Peters said. Editor's note: An initial reference to the children in the Ford Expedition being injured in the crash has been removed, after clarification from Alaska State Troopers on why they were taken to a hospital.
Channel 2's Austin Baird and Kortnie Horazdovsky contributed information to this story.