A teenager died Saturday afternoon when the Jeep she was driving went airborne and hit a bridge pillar on Interstate 30, authorities said.
Arkansas State Police said the crash happened at 4:15 p.m. near Benton.
The 16-year-old was driving a 2011 Jeep Wrangler east when the vehicle veered off the road and hit a drain in the median, propelling the Jeep into the air, according to an Arkansas State Police preliminary crash report.
Troopers wrote that the impact sent the Jeep flying forward until it hit a bridge pillar.
The youth, whose name was not released, suffered fatal injuries in the collision, Saline County Coroner Kevin Cleghorn said.
Cleghorn said the driver was a local student, but he didn't identify the school she went to. Harmony Grove High School in Benton posted Sunday on Facebook that its community "is hurting with the loss of another student."
"Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers as well as our students and faculty," the post read. "Life is precious. Love each other."
Conditions at the time of the crash were described as clear and dry.
At least 289 people have died in traffic crashes on Arkansas roads so far this year, according to preliminary figures.
