Bentonville Crash Kills One, Injures One

— A man was killed and a woman injured in a one-vehicle accident early Wednesday in the 900 block of North Main Street, according to the Bentonville Police Department.

Emanuel Perez-Serrano, 19, of 2406 S.E. 15th St. in Bentonville was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Berniece Martinez, 18, of 201 Lake St. in Bentonville.

Perez-Serrano was killed when Martinez lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway, became airborne, struck a parked vehicle on the road, then struck a second vehicle parked in a driveway, according to a report.

Both Perez-Serrano and Martinez were ejected from the vehicle, according to police.

Jon Simpson, police chief, said the area of the accident has a speed limit of 25 mph.

“We don’t have an estimated speed on the vehicle yet,” Simpson said. “But I think it’s safe to say it exceeded the posted speed.”

Simpson said the accident scene covered two blocks and eventually included four parked vehicles and a motorcycle.

That area of Main Street has a dip in the road, Simpson said.

“Our new officers learn about that area quickly,” Simpson said. “The maximum we can take it running on a call is 45 to 50 (mph). Vehicles bottom out and that’s where a loss of control comes in.”

Simpson said accident reconstruction teams were still trying to sort details late Wednesday afternoon.

“This was a really bad accident,” Simpson added. “There are no witnesses. We’re attempting to work with the person taken to the hospital to find out exactly what happened.”

Both Perez-Serrano and Martinez were taken to Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville. The accident occurred at 2:24 a.m., according to the police report.

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