2 crashes in state fatal to 3 people

At least three people died Thursday in two crashes on roadways in the state, according to preliminary reports from the Arkansas State Police.

A 68-year-old man died Thursday night after his vehicle ran a stop sign and hit a tractor-trailer, authorities said.

The crash happened about 11:30 p.m. south of Portia in Lawrence County, according to the state police report.

Steve Dee Sumpter of Leicester, N.C., was driving a 1980 Chevrolet pickup west on Arkansas 412 when Sumpter failed to stop the pickup at a stop sign and it struck the side of the trailer on a 2012 Volvo truck traveling north on Arkansas 63, the report said.

Sumpter suffered fatal injuries. The weather was clear and roads were dry at the time of the crash, state police reported.

In a separate wreck, two people were killed Thursday morning in a crash on Interstate 440 in Little Rock.

Romel Edwards, 25, of Little Rock was driving west on the interstate about 7 a.m. when he abruptly changed lanes to exit onto Interstate 530, causing the 2008 Chrysler Sebring he was driving to rotate 90 degrees to the left, according to a state police report.

The car’s passenger side struck a concrete traffic barrier, causing the vehicle to rotate and land on its top, state police said.

Edwards died as a result of the crash.

A passenger — 23-yearold Margaret D. Williams of Little Rock — also suffered fatal injuries, the report noted.

The weather was described as cloudy, and area roads were said to be wet at the time of the crash.