Two people were taken to Washington Regional Medical Center, one with serious injuries, following a two-vehicle head-on collision in Prairie Grove last week on U.S. 62, according to Prairie Grove police.
A Dodge pickup driven by Ancel Lee Turner, 34, of Springdale, was westbound in the inside lane on U.S. 62 at 7:15 a.m., Jan. 11 when he failed to negotiate a slight curve, crossed the center median into the east bound lane and collided with a car driven by Katie Parker, 29, of Prairie Grove.
Both Turner and Parker were taken to the hospital by Central Emergency Medical Service. Parker's injuries were described as extensive by police.
Parker told police she was eastbound on her way to work in Springdale when the pickup crossed the center line and hit her vehicle head-on, totaling the vehicle.
Police found the pickup truck on fire and upside down along the east bound shoulder of the road.
In interviews with police, Turner said he did not know what caused the collision. He stated that his phone was near his radio and begin to ring. As he looked down to see who was calling, the collision occurred, Turner told police.
According to the police report, Turner was cited for careless driving, no insurance and failure to register vehicle. Blood was drawn at the hospital for further tests. Police said additional charges could be filed, pending the outcome of the test.
The accident occurred east of the Illinois River Bridge, near the intersection of U.S. Highway 62 and Black Nursery Road. Police closed the highway for about 1 1/2 hours. Prairie Grove Fire Department, Farmington police, Washington County Sheriff's Office also responded to the accident.
General News on 01/18/2017