ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Both a Minnesota man testing a snowmobile for his employer in the Alaska backcountry and the company have been cited for reckless driving after the machine slammed into a sled dog team on a training run in December, killing three dogs.
The State of Alaska charged Erik Johnson, of Roseau, Minnesota, and Minnesota-based Polaris Inc. on Feb. 8 with a misdemeanor in the crash near the interior Alaska community of Cantwell, located about 210 miles north of Anchorage.
Polaris believes its employee was operating safely at the time, company spokesperson Jess Rogers said in an email. The company is “deeply sorry about this unfortunate accident, and we express our sympathy to all involved.”
An email sent to Johnson was not immediately returned, nor was a message left on a cellphone believed to be Johnson’s.
A spokesperson for the Alaska attorney general’s office said in an email that Polaris was also cited since state law “contemplates legal accountability” when employees act within the scope of their employment on the company’s behalf.
Musher Mike Parker was training dogs on Dec. 11 along the Denali Highway, which is not maintained in the winter months.
According to an affidavit from Alaska State Trooper Noah Belt, Parker was traveling westbound on the highway when he saw a group of snowmobiles coming at him. The musher said he began using his 1,000-lumen headlamp to make himself known.
One snowmobile passed him and flashed his lights at Parker. The second machine, operated by Johnson, slammed into the front of Parker’s team, killing two dogs instantly and critically injuring two others. One of those dogs later died.
The trooper interviewed Johnson, who said it was dark and blowing snow, which limited his visibility. Johnson reportedly told law enforcement that shortly before the dog team was struck, he saw a faint light while traveling up to 50 mph but didn’t know what it was.
An email sent to Johnson was not immediately returned, nor was a message left on a cellphone believed to be his.
In an emailed statement to KARE 11, a Polaris spokesperson said the company is standing behind Johnson.
"We believe that our employee was operating safely at the time of the accident," wrote spokesperson Jess Rogers. "As we stated previously in December, we’re deeply sorry about this unfortunate accident, and we express our sympathy to all involved."
A court date in the matter has not been set.
Last November, a snowmobile struck a sled dog team on a training run on the same highway. The team belonged to five-time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion Dallas Seavey, but he was not running the dogs at the time. Two dog team members were killed in the accident, and seven others were injured. The driver was cited for negligent driving.
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