One dead in slew of accidents on icy roads

Chris Kester with the Bentonville Parks and Recreation Department spreads salt on the sidewalks Monday around the Bentonville square.
Chris Kester with the Bentonville Parks and Recreation Department spreads salt on the sidewalks Monday around the Bentonville square.

SPRINGDALE -- One person died in a weather-related accident Saturday evening on Interstate 49 between West Fork and Winslow, according to the Arkansas State Police.

The car accident happened near the Winn Creek Bridge about 6:30 p.m., said Liz Chapman, spokeswoman with the State Police. The identity of the dead person wasn't released.

Officers continued to urge caution about traveling today. Light, freezing drizzle continues in some areas. Main roads are clearing but side streets, bridges and overpasses could still be dangerous.

"The roads are slick. Stay home if you don't have to get out," Lt. Jeff Taylor of Springdale said.

Temperatures in Northwest Arkansas are not forecast to reach freezing until later this afternoon, and then only for a few hours.

The National Weather Service in Tulsa reported Fayetteville got almost a quarter of an inch of ice and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport received .15 inches of ice. Parts of Northwest Arkansas got trace amounts of snow. No precipitation was forecast for tonight, officials said.

Taylor said there were 18 accidents since Saturday night just in Springdale. He didn't know exactly how many could be attributed to the weather.

Fayetteville Police went to 23 accidents since 7 p.m. Saturday night, Sgt. Anthony Murphy said. Rogers Police went to eight accidents, Officer Keith Foster said. Foster said some Rogers side street remain icy, but main roads were clear.

The Arkansas State Police worked 39 accidents in Benton and Washington counties since Saturday evening. It wasn't clear Sunday morning how many were weather-related.

Sgt. Shannon Jenkins of Benton County said his agency worked seven accidents.

In Vilonia on Saturday evening, a Bentonville woman died in a car crash, according to the State Police.

Guadalupe Castorena, 25, was traveling east on Highway 64 and slowed to turn at a light about 5 p.m., according to a fatality report. She rear-ended a Jeep Cherokee and slid sideways. A tractor trailer hit her car. Castorena and the truck slid off the road and into trees and the tractor trailer slid on top of the car, according to the report.

The roads were wet at the time of the accident, according to the report.

NW News on 02/12/2018

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