TONTITOWN (KFSM) – State police on Tuesday released the names of the three people who died in a Tontitown head-on collision Monday night on U.S. 412.
Anthony R. Morgan, 50, Michelle R. Johnson, 41, and Glen A. Wensel, 84, were pronounced dead at the scene by authorities around 7 p.m. Morgan and Wensel are from Jay, Okla., while Johnson is from Quapaw, Okla., according to Arkansas State Police. All three victims were traveling in a Lincoln Town Car.
Jacob N. Wilmott, 26, of Springdale, was hospitalized at Washington Regional Medical Center following the wreck. He was later taken by a medical helicopter to a hospital in Springfield, Mo., where he remains in intensive care, police said. Wilmott was driving a Chevrolet pickup truck.
Police said the Lincoln car crossed the center lane and struck Wilmott's pickup truck head-on. Weather conditions were wet and rainy at the time, according to state police.
Alcohol was found in both vehicles, and police are investigating whether alcohol played a role in the wreck, Tontitown Police Chief Kris Arthur told 5NEWS.
The truck had its front end severely smashed in, officers said. The passenger car was damaged beyond recognition, according to witnesses who saw the aftermath of the wreck.
Crews from Arkansas State Police, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Tontitown Police, Fire and EMS were all on scene. They said both lanes of traffic along Highway 412 were blocked while crews worked to clear the accident.
Authorities worked throughout the night to contact Wensel's family to notify them of the fatal crash, but all attempts were unsuccessful. Police ask anyone with information on how to contact Wensel's family to call the Tontitown Police Department at 479-361-2700.
The crash is still under investigation.