A Springdale man faces charges of negligent homicide, second-degree battery and driving while intoxicated after a fatal car accident early Monday, according to police.
Gustavo Escalante, 20, was driving west at a high rate of speed on Meadow Avenue in Springdale about 4 a.m. Monday, according to a statement from the Springdale Police Department. The Chevrolet Trailblazer he was driving struck a curb, and Escalante overcorrected. The vehicle rolled and struck several trees before coming to rest upside down near the intersection of Meadow Avenue and Commercial Street, police said.
Five people were in the Trailblazer at the time of the accident. An 18-year-old passenger, Eliseo Landa-Zamora, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger, Ruth Figuerero, was also ejected. She was taken to Washington Regional Medical Center with a life-threatening head injury, according to a preliminary report from the office of the prosecuting attorney in Washington County.
The two other passengers fled the scene, police said. One went to Northwest Medical Center with minor injuries, and the other had not been identified or located as of Monday evening.
Escalante was not injured. According to the preliminary report, he was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.11 and was initially charged with driving while intoxicated. Escalante purportedly admitted to police that he was "buzzed" and should not have been driving, according to the report.
After police questioned Escalante, it was determined that he would also be charged with negligent homicide and second-degree battery.
Another fatal accident occurred Sunday evening in Searcy.
About 8 p.m., 37-year-old Jorge Villarreal of Kensett was driving his KMT dirt bike west beside Mountain View Circle, about 1 mile south of Arkansas 36 in White County. Villarreal struck a fence, lost control and then struck a utility pole, Arkansas State Police said.
He was taken to White County Medical Center, where he later died.
Metro on 08/12/2014