Fatal Crash on Rural Arkansas Highway

Shortly after 6a.m. this morning, a school bus stopped to pick up children on Highway 31 North in Austin, Arkansas. The school bus had its flashing lights on, and the mechanical arm was out signifying children were boarding. A tractor trailer stopped behind the school bus as children were crossing the busy rural highway, but a van behind the tractor trailer didn't stop in time.

The van crashed into the tractor trailer, and after almost an hour of rescue efforts, the driver of the van died at the scene. Fire rescue and ambulances worked feverishly to remove the driver of the van from the wreckage. Thomas Funeral Home in Cabot, Arkansas arrived on the scene to retrieve the body of the van driver, whose name has not been released at this time.

Not stopping for school busses is a growing problem on this busy stretch of highway. Many drivers fail to stop as children board and depart this bus in both in the mornings and in the afternoons. I went on camera with KATV Channel 7 News based in Little Rock, Arkansas to express my concern for this problem. The fatal crash this morning happened in front of my home, and those children boarding the school bus this are my children.