Two men were injured in the process of fleeing Alaska State Troopers through Soldotna early Monday morning.
Trapper Creek resident Lucas Lester, 23, and his passenger, Palmer resident Christopher Everly, 22, were both injured after the 2001 Dodge Neon Lester was driving crashed into a vehicle at the end of Marydale Avenue in Soldotna. Troopers were chasing Lester after they tried to stop him for a “moving violation” at approximately 1:02 a.m., according to a dispatch.
When the Dodge Neon crashed into the back of a 2005 Ford F350 in a driveway, both men were trapped in the car, which caught on fire. A trooper put the flames out with a fire extinguisher, the dispatch reads.
Central Emergency Services Captain Terry Bookey said CES personnel were called to the scene at 1:06 a.m.
“We responded, got to the scene… four minutes later,” Bookey said. “The vehicle was upright, (and) not on fire.”
CES responders removed both men from the car and took them to Central Peninsula Hospital for non-life threatening injuries, Bookey said. The entire process took about 26 minutes, he said.
Lester had sustained slightly more serious injuries than Everly, Bookey said.
Alaska State Troopers Public Information Officer Megan Peters said no one has been charged yet in regard to the accident, and that the investigation is ongoing.
Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com
