A man was ejected from his car after a collision with a truck Wednesday morning on Kalifornsky Beach Road.
Kenai resident Robert Dolan, 80, suffered facial lacerations and was taken to Central Peninsula Hospital said Alaska State Trooper spokesperson Megan Peters.
A blue Buick sedan pulled out onto the road and the driver of a black GMC Sierra truck did not react in time and slammed into the car, pushing it into a snow berm, Trooper Timothy Tefft said.
The truck crashed into a tree 30 feet down the side of the road in front of the Duck Inn. The front passenger side wheel of the truck broke off the axle. Central Emergency Services first responded to the crash.
The driver of the truck, Katie Jones of Soldotna, did not suffer any injuries. She said she was driving west toward Kenai when the car pulled out in front of her.
Jones said Dolan had a bloody nose and had trouble standing up, but was coherent and talking.
A Central Peninsula Hospital representative said Dolan was seen, treated and released.
After the initial collision, Jones said she couldn’t turn the wheel because of the damage to the front tire and the truck wouldn’t stop until she hit the tree. She said the accident could have been a lot worse.
“I am just shaken up,” she said. “I hope he is OK. I am fine, but I’m more worried about him.”
Traffic was blocked and rerouted for 30 minutes while the scene was cleared. Peters said the posted speed on that stretch of road is 55 mph. The truck’s rate of speed was not released. The case is under investigation.
Reach Dan Balmer at daniel.balmer@peninsulaclarion.com.
