Wasilla man dies after SUV hits tree, troopers say Author: Anchorage Daily News Print article A man died after his SUV struck a tree in Wasilla on Sunday afternoon, Alaska State Troopers said. “The driver, 64-year-old Wasilla resident Richard Pope had a suspected medical event that caused him to lose control of his vehicle and collide with a tree,” troopers wrote in an online statement. Troopers were called to the area near Grizzly Bear Drive and Polar Bear Drive around 12:30 p.m., the statement said. Pope was brought to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and then flown to an Anchorage hospital, where he died from the injuries, troopers said. The investigation into the accident is still ongoing, troopers wrote.