Authorities on Thursday identified a 60-year-old man killed in a series of crashes involving multiple commercial trucks along Interstate 40 in eastern Arkansas.
The deadly pileup brought traffic to a halt Wednesday morning in St. Francis County when a driver smashed into the back of a tractor-trailer, triggering other big-rig trucks to collide with one another, according to the Arkansas State Police. Authorities said the crash happened around 7:25 a.m. near Widener, roughly 40 miles west of Memphis.
Officials said traffic had slowed because of a prior crash, and the driver of a Volvo –– identified as Anthony Rhodes of Arlington, Texas –– didn’t slow down.
He suffered fatal injuries in the wreck, which officials said involved four passenger cars and four commercial trucks.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation Department said it cleared debris and damaged vehicles from the road around noon, more than four hours after the pileup.
Authorities closed the interstate's westbound lane as crews cleared the blockage.
A state police report didn’t list any other injuries.
Officials noted it was raining at the time of the crash, and the roads were wet.
Nearly two dozen people have been killed on Arkansas roads so far this month, adding to a yearly total of at least 162 traffic deaths, according to preliminary figures.