One of the victims of the weekend collision on the Denali Highway/Facebook
Update: Alaska State Troopers say they have now cited a 28-year-old Healy man on charges of “negligent driving” in connection with this collision. They say Austin Gibbs was charged after “a thorough investigation.” Gibbs attended high school in Healy and is a long-term resident of the community about 1,100 along the George Parks Highway just north of the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve. The Denali Highway, a popular destination for snowmachine riders from all over, is about 50 miles south of Healy on the Park.s
Snowmachine hits Denali dog team
The winter is off to a bad start for Dallas Seavey, probably the now best-known of Alaska dog mushers, and his gang of dog-driving helpers.
Two Seavey dogs are reported dead after being hit by snowmachine on the seasonally unmaintained Denali Highway in Central Alaska, and handler Josiah Liebe, though not seriously injured, is reported to be still recovering from the shock of it all.
Alaska State Troopers provided the following statement on Saturday, but as has become the norm for that state agency it provided little information:
By then the story was already circulating on social media, but no one was offering confirmation of anything, and the Anchorage media, as has also become the norm, ran with only what troopers fed it.
The Denali, most of which is a gravel road, isn’t much of a “highway” in the warm season and even less so in winter when the state stops plowing it. It then becomes a long, white pathway through the wilderness for snowmachine riders and for a growing number of dog teams that train on the trails packed in by snowmachines.
Unfortunately, the problem of bad drivers – drunk or otherwise – is as much a problem on this shared trail in winter as it is on Alaska roads year-round.
“Josiah, Isaac (Teaford) and I had teams of nine, 10, and 12 dogs respectively,” Seavey reported. “Josiah’s team was hit by a snowmachine traveling approximately 65mph in the opposite direction. Of the nine dogs in the team one was killed instantly, one had several broken legs and died within an hour, three had compound fractures or limbs nearly amputated by the impact, and the remaining four had minor injuries (by comparison). Josiah has some bruising and a cut, but is otherwise OK.”
Liebe – a young handler from Billings, Mont. – was alone when the collision occurred so it is unclear how the 65 mph speed was determined, but travel by snowmachines at speeds in excess of 50 mph on the Denali in winter is not uncommon and some may hit speeds close to twice that.
Social media reportage
The initial social media report that emerged shortly after Liebe’s team was rundown said that “he was driving a team of dogs on a five day and night training exercise with 12 dogs for his boss who is a five-time Iditarod champion.
“There were three mushers working all together with dog teams and sleds. Josiah was alone with his dogsled team when the accident happened. One musher was behind him by a few miles and the other musher was several hours ahead. He was on a trail where mushers train their dogs for competition.
“Three snowmobilers came around a blind curve in the darkness of night at a high rate of speed and didn’t see Josiah. The lead snowmobiles hit Josiah’s dog team head on killing three dogs and seriously injuring three more. Two of the dogs required leg amputations. Josiah wasn’t hit by the snowmobile but missed by only inches. He was thrown 40 feet off the sled and landed in the snow. The temperature was zero degrees.
“Seeing the carnage to the dog team, he jumped up and began to attend to the injuries. He was tying a tunicate (sic) on a critically injured dog’s leg when the very frightened and traumatized dog bit him on the hand. The three snowmobilers were very intoxicated.
“Dallas, the team leader and owner of the dogs was alerted about the accident by Josiah on his satellite phone….Josiah is (now) back at his cabin and recovering from the ordeal. We spoke with him around 7 p.m. Saturday….”
After Seavey’s post about the collision today, Liebe turned to Facebook to say he had escaped serious injury.
He later posted photos of the deceased dogs and his feelings about them.
“I’m never gonna not miss these two guys,” he wrote. “They were way too young to lose and were both incredible sled dogs. Sweet baby Olaf deserved so much better. Little Oreo never got the chance to show us his potential on the trail.”
Serious, serious injuries
Seavey indicated the racing days of at least two and probably three of the other dogs are over.
“Whopper has had his rear left leg amputated but is otherwise stable,” he reported. “Sigfried has gone through surgery, is stable, and we are hopeful that he will keep his rear left leg. Houdini has a rear leg that needs to be amputated, but also has inflammation in his lungs that makes a surgery at this time very risky.
“We are monitoring him closely and he will be going into surgery as soon as advisable. All three have a long road to partial recovery in front of them and in Houdini’s case, with a major surgery still ahead, a positive outcome is far from guaranteed.
“The snowmachiners,” he added, “did stop, but appeared to be quite intoxicated and were of little help. Please do not drink and drive this weekend. And remember, there are other users on the trails.”
The drivers’ names have not been made available if indeed they are known. The snowmachine trails of Alaska are almost wholly unpoliced, but the vast majority of snowmachine operators ride responsibly.
Still, conflicts between snowmachiners, dog mushers and, sometimes, fat bikers have grown in recent years as the number of users on winter trails has grown. Many routes, such as the Denali, now attract significant numbers of both motorized and non-motorized users.
And while drunk driving is a problem there – as it is on the roads of Alaska – people driving faster than their skill level or beyond their capability to stop in the distance they can see ahead are equally dangerous.
There aren’t that many “blind corners” on the Denali, but there are plenty of hills one could crest at speed only to find a dog team in the trail just below and bends in the road where it would be easy overdrive the narrow beam of a snowmachine headlight only to have it swing right or left and reveal a dog team to close ahead to get stopped in time.
I just learned of this tragedy today. It sickens and angers me how any person will drink and operate a motorized vehicle. I agree with what Dallas stated in his telephone interview with a newscaster — that section of that highway was wide with plenty of room to pass safely and it is inconceivable that a sober driver would ram into the dogs. It sounds like all three drivers showed signs of being under the influence. Dallas handled that situation well – he kept his cool and triaged first aid for his dogs and his handler to make sure he was OK, and then he got the dogs who were injured to the vet. Dallas was not focused on himself but on everyone else. I hope the dogs who survived will readjust and be happy without being able to run with the other dogs on the team. Anyone accusing of Dallas just being full of himself and competing in the Iditarod for himself don’t know what they are talking about. Dallas is doing all of that for his dogs and for people so that their lives will be enriched through the sport of dog mushing. He is a remarkable person and so are his handlers and staff and family. I hope to one day meet Dallas. My heart aches for his loss and the great trauma his handler on that sled is moving through and for everyone on Dallas’ team. I am glad that Dallas and his handler will be able to run in this year’s Iditarod. I am rooting for a woman to win this one — but if Millie or Jessie or another woman is not able to do that then I hope Dallas does then win his 6th.
I’ve followed mushing for decades and Dallas since his beginning days. I am heartsick for him, his teams, his kennel.
And thoroughly pissed off. Even here in Texas, where law makers get so little right, this type of crime would be highly punishable.
Horrible just horrible.
Machines and alcohol. Not acceptable.
I wonder if the multiple lodges along the denali hwy are involved in this drinking inebriation episode. If they are they bear some responsibility.
Definitely not something you call an accident.
Its all about choice.
He chose to drink and he chose to drive.
It might as well be premeditated murder.
( of the dogs)
He knew drinking and driving could cause him to kill somebody and did it anyway thus it’s premeditated in my mind. He thought it over and chose to do it . Premeditated.
That musher will fear for his dogs and own life every time he hears a snowmobile approaching.
I hope the law and the seaveys take him for everything he’s worth plus prison. Sue these careless creeps.
Motorized and man powered conflicts must stop.
We need better separation and maintenance for bicycle, ski , pedestrian, ect paths.
The law is not taking it seriously enough when drivers run down people.
We know for sure they were driving faster than for conditions, but If he or they were drinking then I agree with a lot that you are saying however I would like to make comment to a couple of things you said.
First your comment about holding the lodges in some way responsible:
I have never thought it was right to charge someone else for someone else’s own actions. I never will think this is right. It would be the same mentality as charging a knife maker for making a knife that ended up down the road being used in a crime by another individual. The only one responsible for a persons actions is the person that did the actions. This is how we get into a society that always has an excuse for their wrong doings besides it being solely their own bad decisions. No self responsibility.
This also makes every business owner responsible for baby sitting grown damn adults. This leads into people not building things, starting businesses, or what have you for fear that something they made or serve is to be used against them by ill law making.
In a way the shifting of the blame routine that was started some time in the early 90’s or maybe even earlier than that, has done its part to contribute to the down fall of our society.
Your second remark is that we need separation to keep everyone safe. How sad that we live in a world that a person feels we need this because on a society level people are so far gone as to not be able to help themselves from doing stupid things that endanger others, and it’s not just on the trails, our roadways are full of distracted nascar drivers ready to take you out as well.
Zip ,
Obviously you bring an important point regarding passing the buck regarding manufacturing.
Well manufacturers can be sued for a product that causes an accident. Especially if the product malfunctioned or was designed poorly.
So — alcohol caused an accident. Period.
Alcohol takes away a person’s ability to choose at a certain point( manufacturing defect imo) . (even when they want to make a decision) its not like a knife or gun ect . Alcohol removes choice.
It’s a known provable effect to varying degrees different on each person.
Its also addictive you can have withdrawal without it.
Knives and guns have very minimal addiction in most people and more guns don’t really damage your ability to think critically though I wonder about some people 🤣
more alcohol more profit less thinking.
At any rate assuming alcohol, drugs or mental illness isn’t present the knife has very little effect.
Whereas the more alcohol you drink 🍺 🤪
A known effect.
So if you build a bar on a winter trail where there are no taxis and the only way there is by motorized and non motorized like the gracious house , alpine creek, and might even be other bars along the highway. the odds are people will be getting on their machines or cars drunk.
(liquored up at minimum)
Therefore the lodge owners made the conscious decision to sell alcohol to motorized travelers knowing it’s factually hazardous to drink and drive putting peoples lives at risk,so they have legal culpability under the situation if someone causes an accident under the influence of their alcohol.
Just saying. Anyone who preys/ profits on others weaknesses is partially responsible when it’s proven fact their product takes away rational thinking ability and is a guaranteed hazard to the majority of users and others in society.
Im for freedom to imbibe and freedom to sell if you both recognize you are directly responsible for the outcome.
Willing to pay all damages and go to prison for premeditated murder because that’s what drinking and driving is and thats what selling to drivers is. You know the guaranteed eventual end result is impairment and death.
Thats how I think about it . The buyer and seller made a personal premeditated choice to endanger everyone’s lives. Just as planned as choosing a weapon to kill someone. Except its worse because its for profit and not just crime of passion or mental illnesses.
Anyone who minimizes the hazard is part of the problem imo.
Pirate……Don’t stop there, let’s go after the SOBs who make the liquor. What about the bakers who make all those fattening delightful treats, who tempt fatso. Let’s keep going with this BS train of “I’m in no way fully responsible for my own damn actions”.
People are sober when they make their decision to start drinking knowing the surrounding circumstances they are in.
Zip
There probably has to be a rational balance.
Rarely does a person eat so many donuts it causes him to become “drunk” unable to safely navigate the world and become a deadly hazard to others beyond himself . Certainly not with one box of doughnuts. It’s reasonable to think the donut sale won’t cause a car wreck to a standard human. ect
Im not for litigation of manufacturers because they don’t make the choice of where and when to sell .
The sale doesn’t become dangerous until it’s imbibed.
Thats where the bar or lodge come in . They must utilize due diligence in their sale.
In a free society it becomes imperative all responsible parties use judgment and act responsibly.
In the case of bar owners and liquor license owners they are the final safety measure that determine if a sale is appropriate.
Would you sell a rifle to hamas if he walked into your gun store? Or a mentally deranged person?
No . A rational person delays the sale or declines.
Otherwise legislation takes away our freedoms.
I have been waking up at night and thinking of these dogs suffering…
Fluid in lungs, amputated legs, fractures throughout and animals that LOVE running, to never walk or run again.
At first I want to blame Iditarod or mushing but it is NOT their fault.
Dallas Seavey is the most narcissistic dog man in Alaska, but it’s not his fault.
His Father & Grandfather thought him that dogs were property, weak ones were taken out back to the woodshed…winning was everything & that he had a right to abuse animals to get the reward.
There was no reason to leave an inexperienced young musher alone in the dark with a large dog team…was the young man wearing ear phones & listening to music?
Did he not hear the snowmachine racing towards him & his team?
Did he not see the sno-go’s light bouncing of the horizon?
BUT WHY does Dallas dump teams on inexperienced handlers time and time again?
Because all he thinks about is thinning the herd & finding out which dogs will pull him to Nome to secure his place in the history books…
I took care of a dog named Flint two winters back after he was hit by a car on the Park’s Hwy…
Somehow the dog limped back to my house (destiny) and sat on my porch until I came home…I found him in shock, minus a tail & one leg hanging on.
My son & I warmed our garage, administered first aid & notified the mushing community.
I am calling for the mushers I respect & have worked with in the past to step up to the challenge & start implementing some sort of protocols to stop this sacrificing of animals to the sport.
LED lights, safety vests, brighter headlamps…running in the daytime hours all help increase the safety when running dogs.
I know after a couple thousand miles of ski joring & surviving a moose attack that things happen on the trail, but I also know several mushers treat dogs like disposable razors & once the edge is gone….the animal serves no purpose.
Dallas, if you are reading this…those injured dogs are on your conscious…not the young handler who has hope of becoming an Irod veteran like you.
Situational awareness saves lives, pull those air pods out of your ears…look, listen and feel the wilderness instead of turning off.
I pray those injured dogs recover & some warm souls adopt them & give them a good home…..stop thinking about the arches & NOme and start thinking about sentient creatures that give their lives to man.
You are as big a moron as Craig M. You offer nothing but a jealous, ignorant BS post—Bless your heart—-a total know-nothing. People who can do—people who cannot whine and wallow in their inadequate life—-we love Dallas
In the ‘70s, driving the Highway to Alaska one time, I came across a vehicle that clearly had recently left the road and soared into some deep snow 40-50 feet east of the road. It was almost buried. Unable to raise a response and seeing the next settlement was only 10 miles on, I drove there and reported my findings to the locals at the cafe. They all had a big guffaw and explained that was old George who had recently headed down the road with a noseful and he typically ran off the road there, and they’d go dig him out when he sobered up.
The mushers should have sugared the snogos and left the assholes to walk out on their own. Least thats what Jack London would have done to the murdering scoundrels.