02/24/17  Three Die In Two Separate Vehicle Incidents

Three more traffic fatalities occurred in Arkansas on Wednesday, including two in a fiery crash of a truck loaded with ammunition in Franklin County.

Little information has been released by the State Police other than the driver of the truck and a passenger died when a tire on the front end of the truck on the passenger's side blew out causing the driver to lose control at the Lone Elm Road overpass. The truck burst into flame and much of the ammunition exploded keeping workers away from the site and causing both lanes of I-40 in that area to be closed for several hours. The bodies of the two who died in the crash we sent to the State Crime lab for identification and cause of death. Highway department workers were sent to the scene to examine the overpass to make sure it was structurally sound. The crash occurred at 2:15 Wednesday afternoon. State trooper Ben Ibarra was the investigating officer. Those deaths were Arkansas' 61 and 62 traffic deaths so far this year.

A one vehicle crash in Arkansas County Wednesday afternoon killed an  unidentified passenger in a 2016 Toyota driven by 35 year old Mathew Meins of Stuttgart. According to a preliminary State Police report, Meins was travelling east bound on highway 146 when his vehicle left the road and struck a tree. The vehicle burned on impact. State Police still have the accident under investigation. Weather conditions were clear..the roadway dry at the time of the crash at 3:37 Wednesday afternoon. State Trooper D. Roam was the investigating officer.