BELLA VISTA -- A Bella Vista man killed in a vehicle wreck early Thursday morning has been identified.

John Alspaugh, 81, was a passenger in a Ford Escape hit by a Chevrolet Avalanche on Bella Vista Way south of Kingsland Road about 7:30 a.m. The wreck happened in the southbound lane, where traffic backed up, said Police Capt. Tim Cook.

Alspaugh was taken by ambulance to Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville, where he was pronounced dead.

Wayne Rutherford, 65, of Bella Vista, the driver of the Escape, was taken by ambulance to Mercy Medical Center in Rogers and then airlifted to Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Mo. Rutherford was in critical condition Friday, Cook said.

Kathryn Novell, 50, of Bella Vista was driving the Avalanche. She also was injured, but went to an area hospital in a personal vehicle, Cook said.

Two other vehicles were hit in a chain reaction, but no one else was injured, Cook said.

The crash remains under investigation, Cook said.