A local woman was killed and a local man was critically injured early Monday in a one-vehicle wreck at the intersection of Chattanooga and Fargo streets, Hot Springs police Officer 1st Class Joey Williams said.
Shayla Nichole Kriese, 29, was killed and Dennis Wallace Jr., 30, was injured when they were both ejected from a 2004 Mercury Marquis when it wrecked shortly before 1 a.m., Williams said, noting it was unknown who was driving the car.
He said the Marquis was eastbound on Chattanooga at a high rate of speed when it crossed the centerline, left the roadway on the left near the intersection with Fargo, and struck a concrete wall and then a tree, causing both of the occupants to be ejected.
Kriese was pronounced dead at the scene by Garland County Deputy Coroner Jayson Neighbors and Wallace was transported by LifeNet to an area hospital in critical condition.
Williams stressed the wreck was still under investigation Monday afternoon and the department's accident reconstruction investigators were hoping to get more information from the vehicle's "black box," but he noted, "speed was definitely a factor."
"They are still trying to piece together what happened," he said. "They don't even know who was driving at this point."
A preliminary fatal crash summary posted by Arkansas State Police Monday listed Wallace as the driver and Kriese as the passenger. It also noted conditions were clear and dry at the time of the wreck.
Local on 07/10/2018