3 killed in South Arkansas collisions

Separate accidents this weekend in South Arkansas left three people dead, according to Arkansas State Police preliminary fatal crash reports.

Fiery crash in Pine Bluff leaves 1 dead

At 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, a head-on collision in rural Jefferson County claimed the life of an unknown driver reportedly traveling the wrong way on U.S. Highway 65 near Mile Road.

According to the report, the southbound Nissan was in the northbound lanes and collided with a northbound 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. The Nissan became engulfed in flames immediately after the collision, killing the driver.

The driver of the Tahoe, 49-year-old Margert Thomas, of Brookhaven, Mississippi, was transported to Jefferson Regional Medical Center.

The crash happened under rainy conditions and on wet roads, according to Trooper Ruben Zamora’s report.

Magnolia passenger killed on collision with tree

A 19-year-old Magnolia resident was killed Saturday, Feb. 15, in a vehicle collision with a tree.

Kenneth Parham was a passenger in a northbound 2004 Chevrolet pickup that left the roadway on U.S. Highway 371, in Columbia County, and struck a tree. 

Parham succumbed to injuries. The report lists three other occupants of the vehicle who were transported to Magnolia Regional Hospital for treatment to unlisted injuries: the driver, Logan Floyd, 19, and two other passengers, Kylie Jones, 19, and Kirk Jones, 22, both of McNeil.

The accident happened at 3:23 a.m. on wet roads, according to investigating state Trooper Jordan Drake.

A GoFundMe account has been established to help the Parham family with funeral expenses.

Texarkana pedestrian struck, killed on U.S. 82

That same evening in Miller County, a pedestrian was killed while attempting to cross a road in Texarkana.

Stephenette Dansby, 69, of Texarkana, was attempted to cross U.S. Highway 82 when she was struck by a westbound 2004 Ford Expedition. The report does not list the driver’s name.

The accident happened at 9:31 p.m. on wet roads and under cloudy skies.

Dansby’s body was released to Jones Funeral Home in Texarkana.

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 Typical errors include spelling errors in names, or incorrect ages; outdated hometown information; vehicle direction of travel; and incident times.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.