A chain-reaction accident on Interstate 30 in Arkansas involving three tractor-trailers and a van killed two people and injured two others Tuesday, authorities said.
While eastbound traffic on the interstate was stopped about 5 p.m., a Mack truck failed to stop near I-30's intersection wth I-49 in Texarkana and collided with a Kenworth truck, according to a report from Arkansas State Police.
That pushed the Kenworth truck into a 2011 GMC van, which pushed the van into a Freightliner truck, state police said.
The Mack truck's driver, Allan Hanson, 65, of Antigo, Wis., and the driver of the van, Telesforo Hernandez, 52, of Mesa, Ariz., were reportedly killed on impact.
Two passengers in the Freightliner — Jose Luis of Alexander, and Wilson Enrique Pacheo of Little Rock, whose ages were not listed — were injured and taken to hospitals, the report states.
The Texarkana City Fire Department and Texarkana Police Department responded to the crash alongside Arkansas State Police, the Texarkana Gazette reported.
The wreck closed the eastbound lanes of a half-mile section of I-30 for nearly four hours, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
The Texarkana Gazette reported that traffic on I-30 was backed up for miles hours after, and three other vehicle wrecks happened within a few miles of the fatal crash.
The crash is under investigation, Texarkana police told the newspaper.
Conditions were reporteed to be clear and dry at the time of the wreck.
The deaths are among at least 365 on Arkansas roads so far this year, according to preliminary figures.
