COOPER LANDING, Alaska- Thursday afternoon, at about 3:00 pm, a Crown Point trooper, while on his routine patrol came upon a crash site at mile 41.4 mile of the Sterling Highway. The trooper found one of the victims of the crash, Andrea Leindecker, age 20 of Anchorage, severely injured at the scene. He attempted lifesaving measures on her but was ultimately unsuccessful.

The Kenai Peninsula Bureau of Highway Patrol, Additional Alaska State Troopers from Crown Point, and EMS teams from Moose Pass and Cooper Landing responded to the scene shortly afterward.

The initial investigation conducted at the scene found that Andrea Leindeceker, who was driving a 1995 Ford Aspire southbound on the highway, began sliding and crossed over the center-line into the northbound lane. The Ford, now sliding sideways, was impacted on the driver’s side by a northbound 2007 Dodge Nitro driven by Sheena Sanchez, age 28, of Anchorage. Sanchez also had three juveniles in her vehicle.

While Leindecker was pronounced deceased at the scene, Sanchez and the three other occupants of the Dodge were transported to the Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna and treated for minor injuries.

The Sterling Highway remained closed until 9:45 pm as invstigators worked at the accident scene and total station diagramming was performed for the investigation.

Leindecker’s next of kin were notified and her remains were taken to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Anchorage for autopsy.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation by the Bureau of Highway Patrol.