Three people have died in recent days on highways in South Arkansas.
A one-vehicle crash left one Fordyce resident dead and another injured. According to an Arkansas State Police preliminary fatal crash summary, a 2022 Dodge Challenger was eastbound on Church Street near its intersection with Baxter Street when the driver left the roadway and struck several trees, causing the vehicle to roll.
Orlander Davis, 52, a passenger in the vehicle, was killed. His body was transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. The driver, 44-year-old Eunice Curry, was taken to the Dallas County Medical Center.
Officer Andrew Sisson of the Fordyce Police Department noted clear skies and dry roads at the time of the crash, which happened at 10:03 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16.
In far southern Arkansas, a Louisiana man died after a vehicle-versus-tree crash in rural Lafayette County.
The Oct. 19 crash claimed the life of 21-year-old Dekavious D. Jefferson, of Springhill. Jefferson was driving a 2018 Toyota Camry north on Arkansas Highway 53 near its junction with Lafayette Road 68 when he drove off the highway and into a tree.
Cpl. Brent Walker noted wet roads under clear skies at the time of the crash at 5:20 a.m.
Jefferson’s body was taken to Hamilton-Davis Funeral Home in Stamps.
On Sunday, Oct. 19, a Texas resident died on Interstate 30 after a vehicle collision with a deer.
Lauren Villarreal, 38, of Azle, was westbound in a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro in Hempstead County when she struck a deer near the 26 mile-marker south of Hope. The vehicle then left the interstate and collided with a tree.
Weather and road conditions were listed as clear and dry, according to investigating State Trooper Holly Romero. The crash happened at 7:24 p.m.
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 Typical errors include spelling errors in names, or incorrect ages; outdated hometown information; vehicle direction of travel; and incident times.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.