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 after the crash while the driver of the cruiser, Jonathan Penney, 24, of Blytheville, was injured, Sadler said.
Sadler said he could not confirm whether Penney is 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.
Also Sunday, a 39-year-old Batesville woman died when her 2017 Chevrolet Colorado crossed the centerline on U.S. 67 north of Pleasant Plains in Independence County and struck another vehicle, according to a state police report.
Kristi Spurlin died in the crash, which happened at 2:41 p.m. Robert Leonard, 45, and Kelly Leonard, 35, who were in a 2011 GMC pickup that was struck by Spurlin's vehicle, were injured.
Early Sunday morning, a Pine Bluff woman who was standing on the edge of a roadway was stuck and killed by a car, according to a state police report.
Briggett White, 45, died at 4:18 a.m. when she was struck by a 2002 Ford Explorer while standing in front of a house at 3782 Nick Springs Road in El Dorado, the report said.
Metro on 11/12/2019