Crashes kill 6 people on highways in state

Six people were killed and three more were injured in wrecks on Arkansas roads Friday, according to preliminary fatality reports from the Arkansas State Police.

Darek Tyler, 31, of Paragould, was killed about 4:36 a.m. Friday when the 2016 Freightliner he was driving south on U.S. 67 near Judsonia ran off the road and crossed the median into the northbound lanes, where the truck overturned onto its left side, according to a report.

A state trooper investigating the wreck reported that it was dark and the road was dry at the time.

Reacis Amilio, 18, of Little Rock, died about 6:47 a.m. Friday after the 2015 Dodge he was driving lost control while exiting Interstate 40 near Hazen and ran into the trailer of a parked 2019 Freightliner truck, according to a report.

A state trooper investigating the collision reported that the weather was clear and the road was dry at the time.

Junior Hale, 79, of Prescott, was a passenger in a 2019 Ford Ranger that was hit by a 2019 Freightliner truck about 7:24 p.m. while pulling onto U.S. 67 from a liquor store in Gurdon, according to a report. The truck tried to change lanes to avoid hitting the Ranger but failed, the report says.

Hale died of his injuries later at a hospital. The driver of the Ranger, 58-yearold Victoria Hale, also of Prescott, was injured.

A state trooper investigating the crash reported that the weather was clear and the road was dry at the time.

Jon Hill, 43, and David Jackson, 44, both of Bismarck, were killed about 10:38 p.m. Friday when the 2021 Dodge Charger that Hill was driving on Arkansas 84 near Bismarck ran off the road and Hill lost control as he tried to correct, according to a report.

The car overturned in a roadside ditch and struck a tree. Both men died at the scene.

A state trooper investigating the crash reported that the weather was clear and the road was dry at the time.

Gary Drum, 45, of Jonesboro, was killed about 11:27 p.m. Friday when the 2020 Dodge Ram he was a passenger in was struck by a 2013 Kenworth while crossing U.S. 412 Bypass on Arkansas 358, according to a report.

Both vehicles left the highway and the Ram rotated once before coming to a halt. The driver of the Ram, 45-year-old Beverly Drum, also of Jonesboro, and the driver of the Kenworth, 58-year-old Jeffrey Berry, of Pocahontas, were taken to Regional One Medical Center in Memphis.

A state trooper investigating the wreck reported that the weather was clear and the road was dry at the time.