After being notified of a hiker having a medical emergency on the Lost Lake Trail in the Chugach National Forest outside of Seward, they responded to the area, where CPR was already in progress.
Coordinates were relayed and LifeMed was launched. Alaska State Troopers and the US forest service responded to the trailhead to await LifeMed, who arrived at the scene at 6:41 PM.
The remains of the victim, who troopers identified as 63-year-old Ben Stevens, were transported to Anchorage.
Stevens was the former Chief of Staff to Governor Dunleavy but left that job to become Vice President of External Affairs and Transportation for Conoco Phillips-Alaska in 2021. He also served as a State Senator and President of the State Legislature.
He was the son of Alaska’s longtime US Senator to Washington, Ted Stevens, who served over 40 years in that position. The elder Stevens died in a plane crash in 2010.
Senator Lisa Murkowski tweeted on Thursday “Ben was a friend of mine, a great dad and husband, and one who made Alaska a better place for us all. His sudden passing leaves a hole in our Alaskan fabric. Ben Stevens will be genuinely missed.”
Senator Sullivan also posted “We will all miss Ben greatly. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, particularly his wonderful wife, Elizabeth, and their incredible children. Our prayers are with you all and with so many Alaskans who knew and loved him.”
Tom Begich, who is running for U.S. Representative on this year’s ticket released a statement that read, “Ben made his place known in Alaska politics. There were times we agreed and many times we sparred on policy. He was a bulldog, but when it came down to it, we always had the ability to work with one another to determine how best to move this great state forward. Ben helped shape Alaska as Chief of Staff to the Governor, as Senate President, as an activist, and as an Alaskan. He will be missed by his friends and especially his family. My thoughts go out to all of his family in their time of grief.”