A woman died and three people were injured Sunday in a Seward Highway collision near Portage.
Alaska State Troopers, along with medics from Girdwood and Moose Pass, responded to the two-vehicle wreck near Mile 71.5 of the Seward at about 1:15 p.m. Joyce J. Strain, 65, died following the crash, according to an online troopers dispatch.
Strain was a passenger in a car driven by 65-year-old Patrick L. Strain, both of them Anchorage residents, troopers said. The driver of the other vehicle was Wasilla resident Patrick L. Richmond, 36.
"Preliminary investigation revealed that (Patrick Strain) was traveling southbound when he lost control of his black 2005 Toyota Tundra pickup and crossed left of center and entered the northbound lane," troopers wrote.
Richmond's oncoming white 2012 Ford Explorer struck the Toyota.
Patrick Strain as well as Richmond and his passenger, a 5-year-old child, were taken to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. Providence staff said Patrick Strain remained in critical condition Monday morning, with Richmond no longer listed as a patient.
Joyce Strain was also taken to an Anchorage hospital but died there, troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said.
Rain and road slush on the highway were believed to have been a factor in the crash, Peters said.
Troopers believe everyone involved in the crash was wearing a seat belt, but both vehicles were impounded and the wreck remains under investigation.