A Van Buren motorcyclist is dead after his kickstand dropped while he was driving Sunday in Crawford County, causing him to crash, troopers said.
Joe Down Brown, 50, was riding his 1991 Harley Davidson west near 6311 Alma Highway when the wreck happened at about 4:30 p.m., according to a preliminary report by Arkansas State Police.
Brown lost control of the vehicle as he tried to raise the kickstand, running off the highway’s right shoulder and hitting a mailbox before entering a ditch. The 50-year-old, who was thrown from the motorcycle, died as a result of the wreck.
Authorities also released preliminary information about a pedestrian who was fatally struck by a vehicle in Pine Bluff on Friday.
Adam Estes, 48, of Pine Bluff died after he stepped in front of a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder headed north on U.S. 63B, according to a report from Pine Bluff police. The driver of the Nissan, a 50-year-old woman, was injured in the crash, the report states.
Authorities described conditions at the time of both wrecks as clear and dry.
At least 178 people have died as a result of wrecks on Arkansas roads so far this year, according to preliminary numbers from the Arkansas Department of Public Safety.