A 66-year-old woman died this week when she drove an SUV off U.S. 71 in Crawford County and hit a tree, but her 7-year-old passenger survived the crash and carried his Chihuahua puppy to safety.
According to the Arkansas State Police, Monte McCaghren, 66, of Mountainburg, was killed when the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe hit a tree near Mountainburg. The vehicle was southbound on the highway, which is known for its sharp curves.
But Jacob Michael Hughes survived the crash, said his mother, Samantha Hughes of Winslow.
With his puppy in his arms, Jacob climbed out of a steep ravine, walked to a nearby house, laid down on the porch and went to sleep, said his mother.
The family that lives in the house woke up Thursday morning to find a bloody little boy and his dog on their porch.
He seemed disoriented, said his mother.
"They asked him, 'Where did you come from?'"
"He said, 'The woods.'"
Samantha Hughes said she doesn't know if her son crawled out of the wreckage or was thrown from the vehicle. But somehow he made it out of the ravine and across U.S. 71 to the house.
"It is amazing that he crawled up out of there and he's alive," she said. "It is unbelievable. I have a new-found respect for that boy. It was that dog because he had to rescue his puppy."
Samantha Hughes said her son was flown to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, where he got stitches on his head, back and knee. She said he would remain in the hospital until at least today.
She said McCaghren was a family friend who often cared for her son.
Samantha Hughes said the accident happened late Wednesday night. The state police was first notified about 7:07 a.m. Thursday.
Bill Sadler, a spokesman for the state police, said it's a preliminary report, and the "lone survivor" will be interviewed when it's feasible. Minors aren't named in the agency's fatal crash reports.
Samantha Hughes said they've only had the puppy for two weeks. Its name is Pandora. While not initially thrilled about the dog, she said they will be keeping it now.
Metro on 08/05/2016