30,000 Pounds: The Force That Trapped an 18-Year-Old Driver in an Anchorage Crash
Anchorage firefighters report that moose collisions generate forces of 30,000 to 40,000 pounds, leaving a teen driver in the ICU after a Monday night accident on an icy road.
By Noor Rossi ·
Moose-vehicle collisions in the Anchorage area typically increase in late fall as the rut season begins and daylight shrinks. On Monday night, that seasonal risk resulted in a severe injury for an 18-year-old driver trapped inside her car.
Autumn Stone was driving home when a moose entered the roadway, according to her mother, Megan Stone. Megan Stone said her daughter did not have time to brake. Firefighters arrived to find the vehicle badly damaged. It took several crews to use Jaws of Life hydraulic tools to extract Autumn from the wreckage.
Anchorage firefighter Jason Dolph explained the physics of the impact. He said that when a car strikes a moose at highway speeds, the animal becomes suspended in the air before landing on the vehicle. In this crash, the moose landed on the hood, windshield, and roof area. Dolph stated that such impacts place forces of 30,000 to 40,000 pounds onto the car.
Fish and Game Biologist Cory Stantorf noted that the Anchorage area usually experiences about 100 moose-vehicle collisions per year. He said the number of incidents begins to rise during this time of year. Stantorf cited the rut, where bulls follow cows, as a primary driver of increased activity. He added that the lack of snow to provide contrast and the pitch-black conditions of the morning and evening commutes reduce driver reaction time.
Megan Stone said medical responders from the EMTs to the doctors expressed amazement that her daughter was alive. By Wednesday, Autumn was still in the ICU and expected to remain there for several days. Her injuries include brain bruising, lacerations, and a broken hand. Megan Stone said the injuries did not appear catastrophic.
Megan Stone viewed photographs of the wreck and expressed relief that her daughter survived. She described the photos as horrifying but said she was grateful for the outcome. She said the images helped her understand how close the family came to losing her daughter.
The collision occurred on an icy road in Anchorage. Autumn Stone was 18 years old at the time of the crash. The incident highlights the specific dangers of driving in low-light conditions without snow cover, a factor cited by local biologists as a key reason for the seasonal rise in accidents.
Source: KMOV
