Rollover crash kills man in Jonesboro, police say; pedestrian fatally struck in Van Buren County

Fatal wrecks in Arkansas
Fatal wrecks in Arkansas

A rollover crash in Jonesboro early Wednesday left a 58-year-old man dead, authorities said.

The wreck happened at 3850 Harrisburg Road at about 1 a.m., according to a Jonesboro police report. When police arrived, they found a 2020 Audi approximately 100 feet off of the east side of the road, the report states.

The vehicle was resting on its left side and the driver, James Essary, was pronounced dead at the scene, the report states.

Tuesday’s wreck is at least the second to happen in the 3800 block of Harrisburg Road this year. A New Year’s Day crash there killed a 21-year-old Farmington woman.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, police said Jonesboro engineers and the state Department of Transportation are examining this stretch of road in hopes of making changes “that alleviate any future accidents of this nature.”

On Monday, a Shirley man was fatally struck while crossing the road to go to his home in Van Buren County, troopers said.

Bobby D. Weaver, 64, was crossing The New Road at Banner Loop Road shortly after 5:10 a.m. when a driver crested the hill near the intersection and struck him, according to a preliminary crash report provided by Arkansas State Police.

According to the report, the driver did not see Weaver, and he was thrown onto the shoulder of the roadway.

Weaver was transported by air ambulance to UAMS Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries, troopers said.

Troopers described conditions at the time of the crash as clear and dry.

At least 25 people have died as a result of crashes on Arkansas roads so far this year, preliminary figures indicate.

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