Alaska is known for its immense beauty and wide range of natural landscapes that make visiting the state a truly memorable experience. Unfortunately for many visitors, as well as residents of Alaska, the Seward Highway, which takes travelers to some of the state’s most beautiful places, is also the most dangerous road in Alaska.

Alaska state officials recently named the Seward “The most dangerous highway in Alaska.”

An Alaska official recently stated, in effect, that the Seward Highway is the most beautiful drive in the world, but also one of the most dangerous.

Last week we posted a blog about the young woman who was lucky to be alive after her car rolled over 5 times in a horrific car accident on the Seward Highway.

The young driver suffered serious injury and a passenger in her car was lucky to have only minor injuries. The car was completely totaled and there were pieces thrown as far as 100 yards.

We also posted a story recently about the Alaska car accident that occurred on May 18, when a Ford Focus was stopped and in position to make a turn on the Seward Highway near Potter Marsh. A pickup truck traveling down the highway apparently did not see the Focus and crashed into the car’s rear-end. As a result of this accident, two people we sent to nearby hospitals. Both of those people survived their injuries. In that accident the authorities blamed driver distraction as the cause of the crash.

An Anchorage Police official was quoted as saying that the Seward Highway has more fatalities, from downtown Anchorage to Portage and the Turnagain Pass, than anywhere else in the state of Alaska.

In the summer of 2009, there were 11 fatalities on the Seward Highway Between 2001 and 2007 there were 31 fatal Alaska automobile crashes.

On Wednesday May 25^th, Channel 2 News in Anchorage is holding a town hall meeting to ask experts viewers’ questions about dangers of the highway.

Alaska Personal Injury

The Alaska personal injury law offices of Barber & Sims have been handling serious auto accident cases for over 30 years. Barber & Sims are trial lawyers with the expertise and the resources to take cases to trial. While many Alaska law firms handle auto accident cases, the offices of Barber & Sims are one of the few with a strong track record of actual trial law cases involving substantial judgments. If you have been injured in an Alaska auto accident you need the law offices of Barber & Sims. Call us today at (800) 478-5858 for a free consultation.

Even with all of the emphasis on safe driving and “scared straight” teen driving classes, there are many of us who have done some fairly unintelligent things as young drivers, sometimes being sucked into the drama of drag racing or trying to show off. Such appears to be the case yesterday when a young woman suffered serious injury in another Alaska car accident. According to eye-witnesses, the woman’s automobile was observed driving recklessly near the Dimond Boulevard overpass of the Seward Highway in Anchorage.

(Daniel Hernandez KTUU-DT)

According to the initial police reports, police believe the young woman was likely racing a pickup truck and was weaving in and out of traffic on the Seward Highway. The woman lost control over her vehicle as the tires slid off onto the shoulder. As a result, she lost control of the vehicle, causing the rear-end to roll and eventually resulted in the car flipping over five times.

The young driver was only 19-years-old, and authorities say she was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, including possible spinal injuries. She was also carrying another passenger in the vehicle but that passenger was expected to be fine, suffering only minor injuries and trauma.

We want to take a moment to wish the woman involved in this serious auto accident a speedy recovery from her injuries. We ask you to join us in sending thoughts and prayers to her and her family, as well as to the other passenger in her vehicle.

Teenage Driving Accidents

Even though there were no other cars involved in this Anchorage auto accident, it is believed that the young woman driving the car recklessly was not wearing her seatbelt. Sadly this fact just adds to the already high statistics for teenage car accidents and fatalities. Teenagers, overall, account for about 10 percent of the US Population but are involved in over 12 percent all fatal car crashes.  Typically, the risk of a Crash risk is much higher during the first year teenagers are able to drive.

The risk of being involved in a car accident is the highest for young drivers aged 16-19 than for any other age group. For every mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are roughly four times more likely than other drivers to be involved in a car crash.

Every year in the United States, over 5,000 teens between the ages of 16 to 20 will die due to fatal injuries caused in car accidents. In addition to those sobering statistics, about 400,000 drivers age 16 to 20 will be seriously injured in an automobile accident.

Hiring an Anchorage Personal Injury Lawyer

Barber & Sims has over 25 years of collective experience in litigating cases on behalf of injured clients. We handle serious injury cases and have the resources and expertise to take cases to trial. Very few law firms are willing to try cases, most will simply take a settlement and move on to the next case. At Barber & Sims we know that serious injury cases take time, focus and effort…and our track record trying Alaska injury cases in impeccable. If you have been injured, contact the Alaska auto accident attorneys at Barber & Sims to schedule a free initial consultation so that you can obtain the information you need regarding your legal rights and options.  If you or a loved one has suffered serious injury in an Alaska auto accident. Call us now at 907-276-5858.

Alaska Personal Injury Attorneys

The Barber & Sims Alaska injury law firm is not currently representing anyone mentioned in this article at the time it was posted. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your legal rights and options, call us or another well recognized and respected personal injury law firm. Please do not rely or act solely upon the information provided in this article. Please consider getting a consultation immediately. The best personal injury law firms will provide a free consultation. Barber & Sims will provide a free, confidential consultation to the persons who were not at fault named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.