Update, 2:30 p.m. Tuesday: Alaska State Troopers identified the two people who died Sunday in a multi-vehicle collision on Chena Hot Springs Road as a woman from Atlanta and a man from Fairbanks.
Daniel Dowhitt, 30, was driving a Jeep that struck a Subaru Legacy, then collided head-on with a Toyota Highlander, troopers said. He died at the scene.
Aditi Subramanian, 27, a passenger in the Toyota Highlander, also died in the collision, troopers said.
Original story:
Two people died and seven others were injured in a head-on collision involving three vehicles Sunday evening near Fairbanks, Alaska State Troopers said.
Prior to the collision reported just after 6 p.m. Sunday, troopers received reports that a Jeep was driving erratically, troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said Monday. The Jeep was eastbound on Chena Hot Springs Road behind a Subaru Legacy when it veered into the path of an oncoming Toyota Highlander, he said.
“We believe the Jeep rear-ended the Subaru which caused the Jeep to go into the westbound lane” and collide with the Toyota, DeSpain said in an email. The collision occurred near the intersection with Esro Road, troopers said.
The driver of the Jeep died at the scene, according to DeSpain. No one else was in that vehicle.
A passenger in the Toyota also died, DeSpain said. The remaining five people in that vehicle were brought to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for injuries and two of them were medevaced to Anchorage, he said.
The driver and passenger in the Subaru Legacy were also injured, DeSpain said.
Troopers continued to investigate the collision on Monday, DeSpain said.
“The roads were icy and might have played a role but were probably not the most contributing factor,” he said.
The road was closed for about four hours Sunday.