18-wheeler collision near Friendship kills 1, hurts 2

One person was killed and two others hospitalized in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 30 near the Friendship exit.

The collision involved two 18-wheelers, and was a fiery one, according to a preliminary fatal crash summary posted by Arkansas State Police.

The report states that a westbound 2020 Freightliner left the roadway near the 84 mile-marker and entered the eastbound lane into oncoming traffic. During the incident the Freightliner struck a 2002 Ford, which was also westbound, and then was struck by an eastbound 2026 Kenworth. 

Both the Freightliner and Kenworth caught on fire after the crash. The driver of the Freightliner, 27-year-old Gilberto Chevez, of Houston, Texas, was killed in the incident. His body was being held at the Hot Spring County Coroner’s Office. The drivers of both other vehicles were transported to CHI St. Vincent Hospital in Hot Springs for injuries.

Trooper Trey McAnear, who investigated the collision, noted clear weather and dry roads at the time of the crash, recorded as 4:20 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6.

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 Typical errors include spelling errors in names, or incorrect ages; outdated hometown information; vehicle direction of travel; and incident times.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