JPD: Crash that killed 7-year-old girl occurred when Jeep she was in lost control and hit oncoming truck

Girl and 17-year-old driver trapped when Jeep rolled into ditch in Christmas Eve crash; driver and the two occupants of the other vehicle were not significantly injured

Police block Glacier Highway near the Auke Lake boat ramp after a two-vehicle collision on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (Photo by Nate Vallier)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A Christmas Eve crash that killed a 7-year-old girl occurred when the Jeep she was riding in lost control and collided with an oncoming pickup truck on Glacier Highway near Auke Lake, according to an update released Friday by the Juneau Police Department.

A 911 call at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday indicated a Jeep and Dodge Ram had collided, and "the occupants of the Jeep were pinned inside the vehicle, and a young child passenger was unconscious," the update states.

"The initial investigation showed that a black 2000 Jeep Cherokee was travelling inbound on Glacier Highway at Pederson Hill, when it lost control and travelled into the oncoming lane of traffic, and struck a white 2015 Dodge Ram travelling outbound on Glacier Highway," the update said.

A 17-year-old female was driving the Jeep the girl was riding in, according to JPD.

"Both occupants of the Jeep were pinned inside the vehicle after the crash, which caused the vehicle to roll onto the driver side in the ditch," the update states.

Emergency personnel extracted both occupants and transported the girl to Bartlett Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Next of kin has been notified, according to JPD. The girl’s name was not included in the update.

No other significant injuries were reported, the release states. The Dodge was operated by a 25-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy was a passenger.

Glacier Highway was closed from Pederson Hill to the Auke Bay roundabout for several hours while JPD investigated the crash.

"The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with JPD's major accident reconstruction team (JMART) leading the investigation," the update notes.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.