BENTONVILLE -- Loose horses on and near Interstate 49 led to at least one vehicle crash. That was followed by several other vehicle collisions, according to the Arkansas State Police.
State Police were sent to four wrecks Thursday morning near the North Walton Boulevard exit in Bentonville. Only one of the accidents was attributed to the horses, according to a news release.
When troopers arrived just after 8 a.m., they found a person trying to keep five or six horses off of the highway. The horses couldn't be corralled, but they went up a hill away from the highway, according to the release.
Bentonville and Bella Vista police officers assisted the troopers.
The other crashes were because traffic that slowed or stopped, according to the release. One of the chain-reaction collisions included a multiple-vehicle crash resulting in two people being sent to Mercy Hospital in Rogers for treatment.
A 17-year-old was driving a 2004 Honda Pilot south on I-49 when traffic slowed to a stop because of unrelated crashes ahead, according to State Police. The teen's Honda, traveling near Exit 93, struck another vehicle in the rear and knocked it off the right side of the interstate, according to the State Police report.
The Honda continued on and struck a third vehicle that then hit a fourth vehicle.
The Honda traveled across both southbound lanes and collided with the rear of the fifth vehicle that was then pushed into a sixth vehicle.
Traffic was diverted from I-49 onto Exit 93 and through Bentonville for 30 minutes, according to the State Police.
The 17-year-old was issued a citation for careless prohibited driving.
NW News on 10/31/2014