The Arkansas State Police have released preliminary reports detailing five traffic accidents that resulted in fatalities across the region in late August and early September.
The most recent crash took place at 3:55 a.m. on Sunday in rural Fulton County. State police say pedestrian Reid Grant, 18, of Franklin, was struck by a southbound 2014 Toyota Avalon on Byron Road while in a traffic lane. Grant was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Saturday evening, at 7:35 p.m., an unidentified driver died in Independence County when a 2018 Ram pickup traveling westbound on State Highway 25 near Charlotte veered off the north side of the roadway. The vehicle struck a creek embankment, overturned, and caught fire, according to police.
Earlier that same day, at 8:45 a.m., Douglas Whipple, 74, of Lake Jackson, Texas, lost his life in a two-vehicle collision in Baxter County. Authorities said Whipple’s 2013 Honda crossed the centerline on State Highway 5 near Norfork and collided with a northbound 2024 GMC truck.
Another fatality occurred on September 2 in Craighead County. Police reported that Mickey Ballard, 56, of Batesville, was driving a 2019 Ford eastbound on U.S. Highway 49 South at 4:40 a.m. near Valley View Agri-Systems. Investigators said Ballard attempted a left turn into the path of a westbound 2025 Volvo driven by Michael Coffee, 45, of Clarkton, Missouri. Coffee was injured and transported to St. Bernard’s Medical Center.
The earliest of the crashes listed by authorities occurred on August 30 in Independence County. Shirley Johnson, 76, of Shirley, was traveling westbound on State Highway 14 near River Ridge Road at 2:16 p.m. when her Chevrolet left the roadway, striking a tree and a culvert. Johnson did not survive.
State police reported clear skies and dry road conditions at the time of all five incidents.