A two-year-old girl is recovering from six broken bones after surviving a head-on collision on the Parks Highway near Trapper Creek that killed both of her parents earlier this month. Sasha Hart, 38, and David Hart, 41, were pronounced dead at the scene after their southbound Subaru Forester crossed the center line and struck a northbound Ford F-250, according to Alaska State Troopers.
The crash happened on October 19 near Mile 115 of the Parks Highway, in front of the Three Bears Gas Station in Trapper Creek, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. As reported by Anchorage Daily News, Sasha Hart was driving the Subaru Forester southbound when it crossed the center line and collided head-on with the Ford F-250. She and her husband were pronounced dead at the scene.
The couple's two-year-old daughter, Paige, survived the crash with injuries described as non-life-threatening and was transported to an Anchorage hospital, per the same account. A later report from Alaska's News Source said Paige was healing fast after suffering six broken bones in the wreck.
A Highway Shut Down for Hours
The collision closed the Parks Highway at Mile 115, though accounts differ on exactly how long. Anchorage Daily News reported the closure lasted more than five hours, while Alaska Public Media reported it was shut down for nearly five hours. Traffic was able to detour through the Three Bears parking lot during the closure, reducing delays for drivers passing through the area, the station noted.
Troopers continue to investigate the crash, Alaska Public Media reported, and no cause has been formally determined. The Susitna Valley had received snow overnight into that Monday, with light snow and mist reported near Talkeetna, the ADN account noted, though it remained unclear what, if any, role weather played in the collision.
What local crash records show
Records for a separate location offer a limited point of context: Alaska DOT&PF reports 29 crashes at the Parks Highway and Sheep Creek Road Extension intersection between 2013 and 2023, with no fatal injuries, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. Those intersection-specific figures do not establish how often fatal crashes occur across the Parks Highway or allow a comparison with other Alaska highways.
Family Remembers the Harts
The crash site sat roughly equal distance between Anchorage and Fairbanks, far from medical facilities, according to Alaska's News Source. Fairbanks Fire Department Chief Andrew Coccaro said that distance creates logistical challenges for crews responding to crashes along isolated stretches of the Parks Highway, the outlet reported.
Sasha and David Hart had built a life together in Fairbanks and had recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay, which cited KTUU reporting. The couple enjoyed traveling, watching hockey, and sharing food together, and considered their daughter their entire world, per the same account.
Family members have called Paige a miracle. Shery Elterman-Hart used that word to describe the toddler, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay, while Katie Ragsdale said Paige is a living reminder of her parents, according to Alaska’s News Source.
