At least 13 Arkansans, including four motorcyclists, have died in crashes on state roadways since Saturday, according to preliminary reports from the Arkansas State Police.
A 74-year-old Oden man died when the 2006 Harley-Davidson he was riding collided with another vehicle Monday, the fourth fatal crash involving a motorcycle in three days, authorities said.
Ralph Ballew was trying to make a U-turn on Arkansas 8 in Caddo Gap in Montgomery County when he "failed to yield" to westbound traffic and was hit by a 2004 Chevrolet, according to a state police report. The crash happened shortly before 10 a.m.
Ballew died at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
Three other Arkansans were killed and two others were injured in three crashes over the weekend involving motorcycles, preliminary crash reports show.
The first crash occurred Saturday about 2:45 p.m. on U.S. 63 in Lawrence County, state police said. A 2014 Toyota Rav 4 was traveling south in the outside lane alongside a 2017 Aprilia RSV motorcycle with two riders, according to a report.
The driver of the Toyota tried to make a U-turn in front of the motorcycle and the two vehicles collided, with the front of the motorcycle hitting the front of the driver's side of the Rav 4, according to the report.
The motorcycle's passenger, 48-year-old Cynthia Robertson of Paragould, suffered fatal injuries. The motorcycle's driver, 43-year-old Micheal Robertson of Paragould, was taken to Regional Medical Center in Memphis, the report said.
State police did not identify the Toyota's driver.
Another crash involving a motorcycle occurred about 4:45 p.m. Saturday as 57-year-old Carl Larue Jr. of Rogers was traveling north on Interstate 49 near Greenland in Washington County, according to a report.
Larue's 2002 Victory motorcycle reportedly left the roadway, drove into the median and rolled over twice, throwing him from the motorcycle. He suffered fatal injuries.
On Sunday, another report shows, 55-year-old James Melvin Ewing of Conway died in a crash while traveling north on Arkansas 25 in Conway on a 2018 Suzuki GSX R 1300 motorcycle.
A 2004 Dodge Dakota was traveling east on Blaney Hill Road and stopped at the stop sign at the intersection with the state highway, then pulled out in front of the motorcycle, state police said.
The motorcycle hit the pickup, throwing Ewing from the motorcycle and off the road, according to the report.
The Dakota's driver, 76-year-old Cordia Sanson of Conway, was treated at Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway.
On Wednesday, a Foreman teen died in a crash that injured two others in the vehicle, authorities said.
The crash happened about 9:30 a.m. in Foreman in Little River County, according to a state police report.
Amanii Beard, 18, was driving south on County Road 53 in a 1999 Chevrolet when she lost control of the vehicle, the report said.
The Chevrolet left the roadway and hit a tree, state police said. Beard was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two passengers in the Chevrolet -- 18-year-old Alyssa Jones of Foreman and a girl whose name and age were not listed -- were injured.
Also Wednesday, a 26-year-old Pocahontas man died in a head-on crash with a Peterbilt truck, state police said.
Dennis Cole Young was traveling north on U.S. 63 in a 2016 Toyota Camry when the car crossed the centerline shortly before 6 a.m., a preliminary report said. The Camry hit a southbound 2017 Peterbilt truck head-on, state police said.
The crash happened south of Hoxie in Lawrence County.
Another Pocahontas man was killed in a head-on collision involving an SUV and a truck Monday, authorities said.
The crash happened shortly after 6 p.m. Monday as Michael Garrett was driving a 2016 GMC Terrain north on U.S. 67 near Martin Road in Pocahontas, according to a state police report.
Authorities said Garrett's vehicle crossed the centerline and hit the southbound 2012 Freightliner head-on.
The truck driver was said to be unhurt.
An 84-year-old woman was killed and two other people were hurt in a crash Tuesday afternoon in southwest Arkansas, state police said.
The wreck happened shortly before 4:30 p.m. on U.S. 67 near the Fulton exit of Interstate 30 in Miller County, according to a preliminary report.
Police said a northbound 1999 Chevrolet Impala driven by 79-year-old Joseph Brinkley of Fulton failed to stop at a stop sign and struck a southbound 1999 Chevrolet pickup.
A passenger in the Impala, Mildred Brinkley, 84, of Fulton was pronounced dead at the scene, the report states. Injured were Joseph Brinkley and the pickup's driver, 58-year-old Chester Johnson of Hope.
A Lake Village man was killed in a one-vehicle crash Monday morning in which he was ejected from his pickup, state police said.
The crash happened on Arkansas 83 north of Monticello in Drew County.
Bryan Edward Moore, 51, lost control of his GMC Sierra shortly after 7:30 a.m., according to a preliminary report. Authorities said the vehicle traveled off the road and overturned, ejecting Moore.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Drew County coroner, the report said.
A Pine Bluff woman was killed in a crash Sunday after she lost control of her vehicle near a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, state police said.
Lisa Newby-Wolfe, 59, was traveling south on Arkansas 7 in rural Perry County in a 2014 Can-Am when the crash occurred shortly after 12:30 p.m., according to a preliminary report.
Authorities said she lost control of the vehicle in a curve, ran off the right side of the roadway and hit several trees.
Another Pine Bluff resident was killed when the vehicle in which he was traveling Saturday night ran off the road and hit a tree, police said.
The single-vehicle crash happened around 7:15 p.m. in the 9800 block of Princeton Pike in Pine Bluff, according to a state police report.
Authorities said Donald James, 54, was traveling east in a 2007 Chevrolet that veered off the road and struck a tree.
Two Arkansas teenagers died Sunday morning when the vehicle they were in crossed the centerline on U.S. 62 and hit a vehicle head-on, state police said.
The crash happened west of Harmon in Boone County.
According to a preliminary report, 18-year-old Tyler Leon Smith of Wesley was driving a 2004 Dodge west when he veered into the eastbound lanes shortly before 8:30 a.m., hitting a 2008 Chevrolet head-on.
Smith and a passenger, 19-year-old Russell Bailey Campbell of Damascus, suffered fatal injuries, authorities said.
The Chevrolet's driver -- Anthony Paul Thornton, 26, of Mountain Home -- was injured in the crash.
The weather was clear and roads were dry at the time of all of the crashes, state police reported.
Information for this article was contributed by Gavin Lesnick, Jillian Kremer, Brandon Riddle and Rachel Herzog of Arkansas Online.
Metro on 05/17/2018