A Haines man faces a felony assault charge after the trailer he was towing broke loose, seriously injuring a bicyclist near 5.5 Mile Lutak Road.
State trooper Dru Neason said he would pursue third-degree assault and reckless driving charges against the 54-year-old man, whose ATV utility trailer was not designed for road use, was attached to a wrong-sized ball and lacked a safety chain.
“He was operating a vehicle that shouldn’t have been on the road,” Neason said this week.
The accident occurred at 10:10 a.m. Aug. 6.
The trailer completely separated from the man’s vehicle while he was passing Mary Jones, 67, of Hastings, New Zealand and husband Allan Jones, 73. According to troopers, the runaway trailer struck Mary Jones from behind, resulting in a head injury that required a medevac transport to Bartlett Hospital in Juneau.
The unmatched trailer hitch and ball and the absence of a safety chain allowed the trailer to come loose and hit Jones, Neason said.
The trooper said he discussed the charges with the district attorney, who agreed there was evidence enough to mount a case.
The driver also was cited for operating an unsafe vehicle and failing to register the trailer. Alcohol was not a factor in the collision.
The Joneses had rented bicycles from a business in town and weren’t on a tour, Neason said.
Third-degree assault is a Class C felony and carries a maximum sentence of up to $50,000 in fines and/or five years in jail. Reckless driving is a misdemeanor which can result in up to $1,000 in fines and/or one year in jail.
“I wouldn’t expect (the maximum sentence) in this particular case,” Neason said.