Troopers: I-40 crash kills Springdale woman, 33

Fatal wrecks in Arkansas
Fatal wrecks in Arkansas

A 33-year-old woman died Sunday after the vehicle she was riding in crashed along Interstate 40 in Franklin County, authorities said.

Megan Rachel Johnson of Springdale was a passenger in a 2012 Hyundai Sante Fe, according to a preliminary report by Arkansas State Police. Troopers said Johnson was riding west on I-40 just before 6:30 p.m. when the vehicle veered left off the roadway and into the median before striking a tree.

Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver was airlifted to UAMS Medical Center for treatment, the report states.

Troopers described conditions as rainy and wet at the time of the wreck.

On Saturday, a teenager was killed following a single-vehicle crash in Palestine, a separate crash report states.

Troopers said 19-year-old Jordan Lee Busby of Palestine was riding north on St. Francis County Road 255 in a 1995 Ford Taurus at about 5:20 a.m. when the vehicle drifted left off the road and hit a tree.

Busby died, and the 20-year-old driver was taken to Regional One Health Medical Center in Memphis for his injuries.

Conditions were clear and dry at the time of the crash, according to the report.

Preliminary figures indicate at least 288 people have died on Arkansas roads so far this year.

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