Alaska: Trooper trapped in vehicle after Seward Highway collision

An Alaska State Trooper stopping to assist a vehicle in distress became entrapped in his own vehicle when a pickup truck struck him from behind on Saturday afternoon.

According to an online dispatch, Trooper Peterson was driving northbound on the Seward Highway around 12:30 p.m. when a vehicle in front of him lost control on the icy road and slid into a ditch near Mile Post 98.5. Peterson pulled over and turned on his emergency lights, but before he was able to exit his vehicle to assist the other driver, a gray 2009 Chevrolet pickup, driven by 26-year-old Caleb Adelmann, “ran into the rear” of Peterson’s patrol vehicle.

After hitting Peterson’s vehicle, the pickup “swung around and impacted the driver’s door of the patrol vehicle,” trapping Peterson inside, according to the dispatch.

The Girdwood Fire Department responded to assist and extricated Peterson. He was taken to Providence Alaska Medical Center for treatment of what troopers described as non-life threatening injuries.

No other injuries were reported in the collision. Everyone involved in the incident were wearing seatbelts, troopers wrote. Alcohol was not believed to be a factor.