Roadway accidents kill 4 on rainy day

A fiery head-on collision on a state highway killed the drivers of both vehicles and injured two minors Thursday evening, authorities said.

Donald Ray Richardson, 55, of Alexander, Ala., was driving a Chevrolet Avalanche north on Arkansas 51 in Arkadelphia around 6:20 p.m. when his vehicle crossed the centerline, according to an Arkansas State Police preliminary crash summary.

The Avalanche struck a Ford Explorer and then caught fire, the report said. Richardson and the driver of the Explorer, 50-year-old Christy Renee Shuffield of Arkadelphia, were both pronounced dead at the scene.

The report didn’t list the ages or the conditions of the passengers.

The two youths were riding in separate vehicles.

The wreck was one of at least three fatal crashes as rain fell Thursday evening across Arkansas.

Another head-on collision occurred around 6:10 p.m. in Oden in Montgomery County, state police said.

Jackie Fast, 79, was driving a GMC Terrain west on Arkansas 88 when the vehicle crossed the centerline and struck a Ford Ranger, according to the crash summary.

A passenger in the Terrain, 74-year-old Judith Fast of Mena, suffered fatal injuries. Jackie Fast was injured.

Around 4:50 p.m. in Garland County, a Chevrolet Impala hydroplaned while traveling on U.S. 70, according to a separate report.

The Impala struck a Nissan Frontier, and the Frontier flipped over, injuring its driver and passenger. The driver of the Impala, 66-year-old Katherine Kennedy of Bonnerdale, was killed.