Bearden man dies in head-on collision on U.S. 79

A two-car crash on U.S. Highway 79 Monday evening left one person dead and two others injured.

The accident involved a 2021 Ford F-150 and a 2015 Honda Accord. The northbound F-150, driven by 81-year-old James Fridell, of Bearden, swerved into the southbound lane “for unknown reasons” and struck the Accord head-on, an Arkansas State Police preliminary fatal crash summary states.

Fridell’s vehicle came to a rest inside southbound lane, and the Accord came to a rest on the southbound roadside.

Fridell died as a result of the accident. His passenger, Mary Fridell, also 81, was hurt in the crash, as was the driver of the Accord, identified as Anity Anthony, 51, of Camden. They were transported to Ouachita County Medical Center and UAMS for treatment to unlisted injuries.

Cpl. John Parker noted clear skies and dry road conditions at the time of the crash, which was recorded as 6:10 p.m. Monday, June 10, 2024, in rural Ouachita County.

Editor’s Note: Preliminary Arkansas State Police fatality reports sometimes contain information that turns out to be inaccurate. Typical errors include spelling errors in names, or incorrect ages; outdated hometown information; vehicle direction of travel; and incident times. The ASP sometimes corrects these errors in updated reports. ASP reports omit names of passengers or drivers who are not injured, even in instances when uninjured drivers may appear to be at fault. The reports also omit names of juveniles who were injured or killed, although we report those names when obtained through other sources.