Kasilof man, 87, dies after Sterling Highway collision near Cohoe Loop

An 87-year-old Kasilof man has died of injuries from a two-vehicle crash on the Sterling Highway, the Alaska State Troopers said. Bruce Lape died Saturday at an Anchorage-area hospital, four days after the collision, with family present.

The crash happened the evening of July 30 where North Cohoe Loop Road meets the highway near Kasilof. Lape was turning left onto the Sterling in his Subaru and pulled into the path of a southbound minivan, troopers said. A passenger in his car was seriously hurt. The minivan driver wasn't injured, and everyone had been wearing seat belts.

It's a familiar stretch for tragedy. Federal data recorded three fatal crashes and five deaths around Kasilof between 2017 and 2023. Troopers are still investigating.