A vehicle rollover on Funny River Road Tuesday resulted in one death.
The deceased driver has been identified as Connor Jezorski, 21, of Soldotna.
The single-vehicle accident occurred at about 7 a.m. Tuesday when a silver Toyota pickup traveling on Funny River Road toward Soldotna entered the opposing lane, hit a culvert in a ditch. The impact caused the vehicle to become airborne, rollover and crash through a fence at the Soldotna Airport, said Soldotna Police Sgt. Duane Kant.
Jezorski, the only occupant in the truck, was on his way to work in Nikiksi, Kant said.
No other vehicle was involved and no eyewitnesses saw the accident, Soldotna Police Chief Peter Mylnarik said.
Soldotna Police, Alaska State Troopers and Central Emergency Services responded to the crash within minutes of the report. CES paramedics declared Jerorski deceased on scene. Responders found him underneath the vehicle, partially ejected from the crash. He was not wearing a safety belt, Kant said.
Soldotna police are waiting for toxicology reports but there is no evidence to suggest drug or alcohol may have been a factor in the accident.
The truck was taken to the Soldotna city shop and inspected by Kant and a mechanic before it was released to a towing company. No evidence suggests any mechanical error, he said.
The next of kin had been notified. Kant said the name was withheld Tuesday until an immediate family who was out of the area was contacted. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
CES Health and Safety Officer Brad Nelson said crews responded to two other vehicle rollovers in a 24-hour period. On Monday a vehicle went off the road on Mile 8 of Funny River Road and the driver was transported to Central Peninsula Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. On Tuesday at about 9 a.m. a female driver went into the ditch on Echo Lake Road near the Sterling Highway. She sustained a head injury and was transported to CPH for non-life threatening injuries, Nelson said.
Nelson said the roadways in both incidents didn’t appear to be slick from the recent weather.
“To have that many vehicle rollovers in a short period of time this time of year is an oddity,” Nelson said.
Reach Dan Balmer at daniel.balmer@peninsulaclarion.com.
