Two killed in wrecks

Two people died in accidents on Arkansas roads since Sunday, officials said.

A 69-year-old woman died Monday after authorities rescued her and a passenger from a pickup hit by a vehicle on Interstate 40 in Pulaski County, officials said.

A 2012 Mercedes GLK and a 2014 Ram pickup were both heading west on Interstate 40 in North Little Rock about 3:10 a.m., according to an Arkansas State Police report.

The Mercedes hit the rear bumper of the Ram near an interchange with U. S. 67, police said. Both the Ram’s driver and passenger had to be freed from the pickup by state police before being taken to UAMS Medical Center, the report said. The driver, 69-year-old Betty Kingfisher of Tahlequah, Okla., was killed.

The injured passenger was identified as 74-year-old Jack Kingfisher of Tahlequah, the report said. The Mercedes’ driver, 34-year-old Muhathab Alami of Lexington, Ky., was also hurt.

An Arkansas man was killed after his motorcycle toppled and slid down a highway in Faulkner County on Sunday morning, officials said.

Michael Shane Smith, 46, of Damascus was riding a motorcycle east on Arkansas 225 east of Greenbrier about 10:10 a.m., according to an Arkansas State Police report.

At a curve, Smith applied the brakes and lost control of the 2003 Harley- Davidson, police said. The vehicle toppled and reportedly slid down Wilson Bottoms Road, which creates a fork in the road with the state highway. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.