It was supposed to be just another normal Thursday morning commute along the Glenn Highway in Anchorage. People were heading into downtown, sipping their coffee, and trying to get to work on time. But shortly after 8 a.m., everything changed in an instant near the infamous S Curves. A sudden crossover from the northbound lanes turned a routine drive into a devastating tragedy for one local family.
Thirty-seven-year-old Donna Reisinger was behind the wheel of her Kia Soul, traveling southbound alongside hundreds of other morning drivers. Riding with her was a young child. They were just passing through the busy corridor that connects the eastern neighborhood communities to the heart of the city when an oncoming pickup truck suddenly crossed over the median into oncoming traffic.
The northbound Ford F-150 clipped two other vehicles—a GMC Acadia and a Ford Explorer—before slamming directly into Reisinger’s Kia Soul. The force of the wreck brought traffic to a screeching halt. Emergency responders rushed to the scene within minutes, but the outcome was heartbreaking.
First responders tragically pronounced Donna Reisinger dead right there at the scene. The juvenile passenger riding in her backseat survived the initial impact, but suffered life-threatening injuries. Paramedics rushed the child to a local hospital, where doctors worked tirelessly as the community held its breath for any positive update.
Fortunately, the drivers of the GMC Acadia and the Ford Explorer walked away from the pileup without any physical injuries. However, the emotional shock was heavy for everyone who witnessed the crash. The Anchorage Fire Department even encouraged bystanders and witnesses struggling with the trauma of what they saw to reach out to the city’s Mobile Crisis Team for mental health support.
The collision forced police to shut down the southbound lanes of the Glenn Highway between the Hiland exit and Muldoon Road for several hours. As investigators meticulously processed the scene and cleared the mangled vehicles, morning traffic backed up for miles. Commuters sat in standstill traffic, processing the tragic reminder of how quickly life can change on Alaska’s busy highways.
Members of the Anchorage Police Department’s Major Collision Investigation Unit are still trying to piece together why this terrible accident happened. For now, a family is left mourning the sudden loss of Donna Reisinger while holding out hope for the young child fighting to recover in the hospital.
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