At least eight people died in incidents on roadways since Saturday, authorities said.
A 20-year-old man died in Garland County when his car struck a ditch and overturned early Tuesday, state police said.
The crash happened in the 1100 block of Arkansas 290 about 2:30 a.m., a preliminary crash report stated. A 2006 Chevrolet Malibu crossed the centerline and drove into a ditch on the eastbound side of the highway, according to the report.
The Malibu became airborne and overturned before ending up on its driver's side. The driver, Javier A. Santos of Hot Springs, was partially thrown out through the sunroof and was killed, troopers said.
According to authorities, rain had been falling, and the roads were wet at the time of the crash.
A south Arkansas woman driving the wrong direction Monday afternoon was killed when her SUV struck a traffic sign and tree, police said.
Mary Dell Jones, 60, of Crossett was driving south in the northbound lanes of Main Street in Crossett when the crash happened about 3:45 p.m., according to a report. Her vehicle, a 2011 Kia Sorento, struck a no-parking sign in the 1000 block and traveled roughly 25 feet before hitting a tree, police said.
According to the report, Jones was transported to Ashley County Medical Center, where she died.
Authorities described conditions as cloudy but dry when the crash happened.
Two pedestrians were fatally struck in separate instances Saturday evening, the Arkansas State Police said.
Bobby Lynn Huffman, 62, of Clarksville walked into the southbound lane of Rogers Street, near Harris Street, in Clarksville about 5:55 p.m., according to a preliminary crash report. Huffman, who was from Clarksville, was struck by a Chevrolet and died, authorities said.
Less than an hour later, around 6:45 p.m. near Texarkana, a man was struck by a Dodge pickup traveling north on Interstate 49, a report states.
The vehicle was "unable to avoid the collision," according to the report, and hit the man while he was in the right lane. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Miller County Coroner Dakota Bloyd said the man's body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory for identification.
Conditions were clear and roads were dry at the time of both incidents, according to the reports.
A pedestrian was fatally struck early Sunday by a vehicle in Benton, authorities said.
Benton police responded just before 2 a.m. to the Interstate 30 frontage road at McCright Street and found 30-year-old Jacob Bridges dead.
Police are investigating the incident, and no charges have been filed.
Two weather-related accidents caused three deaths Saturday, authorities said.
A Fayetteville couple died Saturday in Sherman, Texas, when their car went off U.S. 75 and crashed into a large storm-water culvert.
Evan Nuessner, 26, was found in the gray Ford Edge, according to information from the Sherman, Texas, Police Department. The body of Sarah Nuessner, 26, was found the next day in Post Oak Creek several miles from the crash site.
Sherman police were called about 7:20 a.m. Saturday to conduct a welfare check on the couple who were traveling from Fayetteville to McKinney, Texas, but had failed to arrive. They were last known to be in Sherman about midnight Friday. Officers checked highways and hotels, but did not find them.
About 11 a.m. Saturday, a car was reported in a culvert in the 500 block of North Sam Rayburn Freeway.
Evan Nuessner's body was in the car, and police began searching for Sarah Nuessner. Her body was found about 11 a.m. Sunday.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, according to Sgt. Brett Mullen.
Mullen said preliminary indications are that the car was heading south and went off the road to the west of the highway before going into the drainage ditch and ending up against the culvert.
Mullen said several large thunderstorms passed through the area Friday night, and the culvert was filled with fast-flowing water.
Icy roads may have contributed to a fatal wreck Saturday in Lowell.
Juan Heredia-Lopez, 21, of Rogers was a passenger in a Toyota Corolla traveling south about 5 p.m. on North Bloomington Street. Brandon Jimenez, 18, of Rogers was the driver who lost control of the vehicle and veered into another lane, according to the state police report.
Falon Perkins, 18, of Springdale was driving a Hyundai Elantra north on Bloomington Street and hit the Corolla. Vincent Mason, 18, of Rogers was a passenger in the Hyundai.
The injured were taken to Mercy Hospital in Rogers and Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville.
Heredia-Lopez died at Mercy Hospital.
The Lowell Police Department noted on the report that the roadway had patches of ice and the cause of the crash was possibly related to the weather.
State Desk on 01/15/2020