Two Memphis women died following a crash on Interstate 40 in rural St. Francis County on Saturday morning, troopers said.
The crash happened at about 9 a.m. as Barbara Watts, 69, and Diana Farr, 63, drove west on I-40 near Arkansas 38, according to a preliminary report by state police. Their vehicle, a Nissan Altima, was traveling in the left lane and slowed down, the report states, and was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer that was also headed west.
Troopers said the car left the roadway and came to rest in the median.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 48-year-old Waco, Texas man, was injured in the crash, the report states. He was taken to Forrest City Medical Center for treatment and was later released, according to a hospital spokesman.
Troopers described conditions as clear and the road was dry at the time of the crash.
According to preliminary numbers, at least 452 people have died on Arkansas roadways this year.
This story was originally published at 11:36 p.m.