Car Accident

News: Interstate 40 near Forrest City shut down after fatal crash, chemical spill

December 9, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

FORREST CITY, AR – A fatal accident that resulted in a chemical spill shut down a portion of Interstate 40 near Forrest City early Tuesday afternoon, reports KAIT8.

The accident happened on I-40 west of the Newcastle Road exit, and was reported shortly after 9 a.m. One person was killed, but no details have been released regarding the victim or the circumstances that led to the wreck. The incident caused a spill of calcium carbide, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

I-40 was temporarily shut down in both directions while crews responded to clear the scene and clean up the spill. Traffic was being diverted at exit 247. No evacuations were required.

News: Man struck, killed by SUV while trying cross I-440 exit ramp

December 8, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR – The Arkansas State Police said a pedestrian died in an accident Saturday night at a highway exit ramp in North Little Rock.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the victim was identified as 47-year-old Biagio Festante of Lecanto, Florida. State troopers said the crash occurred as Festante was attempting to walk across the exit ramp from Interstate 440 east to U.S. 165 at about 5:50 p.m.

The crash report stated that the driver of a Ford Explorer SUV tried to swerve to avoid hitting Festante, but the front-right part of the vehicle ended up striking him.

News: 72-year-old man dead in single-car accident in Hot Spring County

December 7, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

HOT SPRING COUNTY, AR – A car accident in Hot Spring County last week left a 72-year-old man dead, reports the Sentinel-Record.

The crash, which occurred on Small Dike Road off Highway 7 south in Bismarck, was reported Thursday night at about 8:30 p.m.

According to the Arkansas State Police, 72-year-old Ronald Joe O’Keefe of Hot Springs was driving a Toyota northbound when he veered into the southbound lane.

News: Driver killed in I-630 crash when wheel from other vehicle hits windshield

December 6, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

LITTLE ROCK, AR – A driver died in a crash after his car was struck by a wheel that came off another vehicle Thursday night, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

The accident happened on Interstate 630 near Chester Street at about 9:45 p.m. Arkansas State Police said a rear wheel became dislodged from a Dodge Ram that was heading west on I-630. The wheel went over a barrier and into the east lane, where it hit the front windshield of a Hyundai.

The Hyundai came to a stop in one of the lanes of the highway, where it was then struck from behind by a Chevrolet. The driver of the Hyundai, 30-year-old Matthew Boswell of Trumann, sustained fatal injuries. No other injuries were reported in the incident.

News: Vehicle slams into tree in White County, killing driver

December 3, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

WHITE COUNTY, AR – Arkansas State Police said a driver died in a single-vehicle crash Thursday on Arkansas 36 in White County, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Investigators said 63-year-old James L. Gaines was driving east in a Chevrolet at about 9:45 a.m. when he drove off the road to the right while trying to negotiate a curve.

Gaines overcorrected and crossed back across both lanes of traffic, then drove off the road to the left. The vehicle overturned, crashed into a tree, and ended up in a roadside ditch.

News: Paramedic dies in accident while responding to call at Little Rock Marathon

December 2, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

LITTLE ROCK, AR – Little Rock police have released details of an accident last month that caused the death of a paramedic, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Maj. Dean Douglas was responding to an emergency call during the Little Rock Marathon when the incident took place on Nov. 21. Douglas, a medic with Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services, was on a bicycle alongside a utility vehicle. According to invesetigators, he was pulled under the vehicle in the area of Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive and South State Street.

Douglas, 50, was severely injured and was pronounced dead Friday at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Police said the utility vehicle was owned by MEMS.

News: 2 women killed when vehicles collide at Rogers intersection

December 1, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

ROGERS, AR – A collision in Benton County Monday night left two people dead and two others injured, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

The accident occurred at the intersection of Easy Street and 13th Street in Rogers just after 8 p.m. Police said 35-year-old Rubia Carpio-Batres of Springdale was driving a Honda Civic on Easy Street when she crashed into a Chevrolet Cruz going north on 13th Street.

Carpio-Batres and a passenger in the Civic, 47-year-old Gaudencia Ramirez of Springdale, both sustained fatal injuries.

News: Driver dies after rear-ending vehicle on I-40 in Pulaski County

November 30, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

PULASKI COUNTY, AR – One driver died and another was hospitalized after their vehicles collided early Monday in Pulaski County, reports the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The accident took place on Interstate 40 west at about 12:12 a.m. Arkansas State Police said 38-year-old Allison Fausett Summers was driving a Volkswagen Tiguan when she crashed into the back of a Volkswagen Jetta. The Tiguan overturned and Summers was thrown from the vehicle. Summers, a resident of North Little Rock, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Jetta driver, a 62-year-old Los Angeles man, was hospitalized at UAMS Medical Center. No details were immediately released on the extent of his injuries.

News: Man, woman killed when car collides with truck in Lake Village

November 29, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

LAKE VILLAGE, AR – Authorities are investigating a collision in Lake Village that killed two people on Thanksgiving morning, according to a report by SEARK Today.

The accident occurred near the intersection of U.S. 65 and U.S. 82 west at about 7:40 a.m. The Arkansas State Police said 26-year-old Karena M. Everett of Pine Bluff was driving a Hyundai when she failed to yield at a red light. The Hyundai collided head-on with a northbound Peterbilt truck that was making a left turn with a green arrow onto U.S. 82.

Everett and her passenger, 23-year-old Diamante Estrellas of Little Rock, both sustained fatal injuries. State police said the roads were wet during rainy weather at the time of the crash.

News: Collision on Highway 36 in White County kills 1, injures 2

November 26, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

WHITE COUNTY, AR – Authorities said two vehicles were involved in a fatal collision in White County on Thursday afternoon.

According to KAIT, the incident took place on Highway 36 at about 1 p.m. The Arkansas State Police said 44-year-old April Malone was behind the wheel of a Hyundai Accent going eastbound when she crossed over the center line while trying to negotiate a curve. The Accent collided head-on with a westbound Nissan Pathfinder.

Malone, a Searcy resident, sustained fatal injuries in the crash. The driver and passenger in the Nissan were hospitalized in Searcy, but no information was released on the severity of their injuries.