The intersection of Airport Way and University Avenue was the scene of a fatal collision between a tractor trailer and a 1994 Saturn SL early Monday morning shortly after 6 am.
The accident occurred as 56-year-old Benny Easters of Hawaii was turning left on Airport Way in his 18-wheel tractor trailer. As he was turning, he was T-boned by a sedan, driven by 21-year-old Cody Odomin, traveling west on Airport Way.
According to the trooper report, the driver of the sedan was traveling at a high rate of speed. According to the dispatch the vehicle was traveling “well over the posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour.”
The driver of the sedan was not wearing a seat belt and was declared deceased at the scene.
Troopers suspect that alcohol as well as high speed were factors in the incident.
The occupants in the semi, Easters and his unnamed passenger, reported wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. Both reported no injuries.
The accident caused a closure of the intersection as the Department of Conservation and the North Star Borough Hazmat Team responded to the scene to clean up approximately 40 gallons of fuel that had been spilled on the roadway as a result of the crash.
Although the semi was transporting hazardous material, none of that cargo was damaged or spilled. Reports say that the semi was hauling rocket engines and solid rocket fuel destined for Poker Flats.
The investigation into the crash is continuing.