Alaska State Troopers said a 42-year-old Salcha man died Monday morning after failing to yield at a stop sign and pulling out in front of a semi on the Richardson Highway in Salcha.
Temitayo Iyanu Kalejaiye was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said. They said the truck involved in the collision was operated by Black Gold Transport, the Kinross Gold partner hauling ore from a mine near Tok to a mill north of Fairbanks along a route that includes the Richardson.
Kalejaiye was the only person in the sedan at the time of the collision, a troopers spokesman said.
Black Gold, in a statement posted on social media, said the crash just before 6:20 a.m. Monday involved an unloaded truck traveling south at 63 mph in a 65 mph zone.
“At this time, we have limited information, but our thoughts and prayers are with the occupants of both vehicles and their families,” Black Gold said in the statement.
A troopers spokesman on Tuesday said he could not provide information about the speed the truck was traveling due to the ongoing investigation.
The State Medical Examiner Office will perform an autopsy on Kalejaiye, troopers said.
Black Gold trucks make 60 round trips a day delivering rock from the Manh Choh open pit gold mine at Tetlin to the Fort Knox mill north of Fairbanks, according to the project website.
Critics have raised safety concerns about running so many double-trailer trucks through residential areas. Project managers say safety measures included newly built trucks and experienced driver hires.