Girdwood man dies of injuries suffered in 3-vehicle collision in Valdez

A 44-year-old Girdwood man well-known in Alaska’s ice climbing community died from injuries he suffered Thursday in a multivehicle collision in Valdez, officials said.

Travis McAlpine, a passenger in one of three vehicles involved, was one of three people hurt but later died of his injuries, according to a statement Friday from the city of Valdez. Police and fire personnel called to the intersection of the Richardson Highway and Wood Way around 5:45 p.m. found all three vehicles heavily damaged.

Dozens of social media tributes described McAlpine as a deeply adventurous person with a love for Alaska’s mountains and the community he’d found while exploring them.

“He was wild, free, generous, brilliant, passionate, and fearless,” McAlpine’s sister, Tracy Spence wrote in a post. “His life was an example of how to live your best life.”

One of the vehicles had been turning left off the highway when the collision occurred, according to city clerk Sheri Pierce. The roads were coated in fresh snow and sleet on Thursday, she said.

Three of the four people in the vehicles were injured and transported to Providence Valdez Medical Center, the statement said. McAlpine was then transported by air to Anchorage for further treatment.

Valdez officials received word Friday that McAlpine had died as a result of his injuries, according to Pierce.

The cause of the collision is under investigation. No charges or citations had been issued by Friday afternoon, Pierce said.