A 52-year-old motorcyclist died after his vehicle was rear-ended by a patrol car in northeast Arkansas on Sunday evening, authorities said.
James Wright, of Manila, was riding a 2006 Harley Davidson west on Main Street near 17th Street in Blytheville when he was rear-ended by the Blytheville police cruiser, a 2012 Dodge Charger, just before 6 p.m., according to a preliminary crash report and Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler.
Wright died following the crash while 24-year-old driver Jonathan Penney, of Blytheville, was injured, Sadler said.
Sadler could not confirm whether Penney was an officer with the Blytheville Police Department. Blytheville police declined to immediately confirm whether Penney was an officer with the department, saying that no one was available to comment on the crash or Penney's condition.
Troopers described conditions as clear and dry at the time of the wreck.
At least 427 people have died on Arkansas roads so far this year, preliminary figures indicate.