Three sled dogs were killed and another injured after a snowmachine crashed into a musher’s team in Alaska, according to state police.
The snowmachine collided with a sled dog machine along the Denali Highway around 5:30 p.m. on Monday near the remote town of Cantwell — about 210 miles north of Anchorage, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Musher Mike Parker confirmed in a heartbreaking Facebook post on Tuesday that he was operating veteran musher Jim Lanier’s dog team when he was in a head-on collision with the snowmachine.
Three dogs were killed in the collision.
John Lennon, a 4.5-year-old male dog died on impact. Buttercup, a 7-year-old female, died on the trail; and Solo, a 3-year-old female, died in his arms in the truck as they rushed to an animal hospital in Wasilla.
KitKat, a 7-year-old female, suffered a fractured femur and other injuries and was awaiting surgery, Parker said. No other dogs and no people were injured in the crash.
Parker said he has been training for his rookie run in the legendary Iditarod race and has participated in qualifying races, including Saturday’s Alpine Creek Excursion Race, a 64-mile event that was run Saturday from Cantwell to Alpine Creek Lodge in which he placed 5th overall.
“Words cannot describe how important and meaningful these animals are to me and the Laniers,” he wrote. “From a sled dog perspective, they were all fantastic leaders that have competed in Iditarod, won the Kobuk 440, and shined in countless other races, including setting a speed record in the Hal Bartko Nome Sign 40 with me last year and helping me complete two Iditarod qualifying races.
“As companions they were sweet, gentle and full of personality,” he continued. “They truly embodied the Alaskan spirit and will live on through their teammates and in my heart.”
The area of the crash is a popular training location for dog sled teams in the winter months. Iditarod race director Mark Nordman told local outlet KTUU. Lanier, 82, completed 16 Iditarod races between 1976 and 2013.
The driver of the snowmachine stayed behind to help after the crash, police said. State troopers said that alcohol does not appear to have been a factor. No arrests have been made or citations issued, police said.
“I hope no other musher ever has to go through the horrifying experience I did on the trail,” Parker said. “For this to happen not long after a similar incident on the Denali Highway is unthinkable.”
On Nov. 17, five-time Iditarod winner Dallas Seavey’s sled team was hit by a snowmachine, killing two dogs, according to KTUU. The snowmachiner in that incident was cited for negligent driving.