File the Report of Occupational Injury or Illness with his employer within 30 days of the crash. That deadline matters. Miss it, and the fight gets harder fast.

Whether this is only workers' comp comes down to three factors.

1. Was he truly on a work trip when it happened?

If his Wasilla employer sent him down the Glenn Highway or Parks Highway for a delivery, meeting, equipment pickup, or paid errand, that usually puts the crash inside course and scope of employment under Alaska workers' comp.

If he was just commuting from home, that is a different story. Regular commuting is often excluded. But work vehicles, mileage reimbursement, a required errand, or being "on the clock" can pull it back into comp coverage.

That first fact decides a lot.

2. Alaska auto insurance still matters, because Alaska is a no-fault state.

Your coworker's "only workers' comp" line is too simple. Alaska requires PIP on auto policies. So medical bills and wage-loss benefits may start through PIP even when the crash is work-related, depending on the policies involved.

Workers' comp can also pay medical care and disability benefits. The insurers then argue over who reimburses whom. That is their problem, not yours. Open both claims immediately: the auto PIP claim and the workers' comp claim with the employer/carrier.

If a police officer did not make a full report, submit the Alaska crash report to the Division of Motor Vehicles if the crash involved injury or major property damage.

3. Another driver or a bad tire can create a separate claim outside comp.

If a tourist crossed centerline, a truck cut him off, or a tire failed in summer heat, workers' comp is not the only path. He may also have a third-party injury claim against the at-fault driver, tire seller, shop, or manufacturer.

On the Glenn, evidence disappears fast. Get the AST report number, photos, dashcam, tow records, tire remains, and names of any witnesses before they vanish.