Arkansas State Police (ASP) have released preliminary results of an investigation into a school transportation van versus semi truck crash that killed five people on Monday.
The crash occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on Monday, June 6, near Dermott, Arkansas.
State troopers say that 47 year old Susan Kennedy was driving a Ford van west on Highway 35. As Kennedy attempted to cross over the Highway 65 southbound lanes, she “failed to yield” for a southbound semi truck driven by Charles Fowler, 52.
The semi truck crashed into the right side of the van, causing both vehicles to veer southwest, coming to a stop on the west side of Highway 65.
Tommy Figures, 50; Brayshawn Ranson, 19; Geraldine Prewitt, 73; Terry King, 56; and Regina Jackson, 65, were killed in the crash. All five people were inside the van when the crash occurred.
Five other people were injured, including Fowler and Kennedy.
The van was en route to an adult education school located in Arkansas City called C.B. King Memorial when the crash occurred.
Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said on Tuesday, “At this juncture in the investigation, it appears that the driver of the van did not see the oncoming traffic,” according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.