BARLING, Ark. — The father of a Rogers woman killed after a man reportedly drove into a restaurant in Barling on Nov. 22 spoke with 5NEWS about his daughter and the tragedy that took her life.
It was just after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22 when Larry Stevens allegedly drove a pick-up truck into Blue Agave Mexican Grill, striking five people.
According to the crash report, Stevens was driving in the parking lot, failed to stop, and ran through the north wall of the restaurant at 302 Fort Street in Barling.
Jimmie Lowrey is the father of 48-year-old Heather White, who was killed in the crash.
"It was Heather, her mother, her stepfather, and Heather's son sitting at a table," Lowrey said. "[The truck] hit the table where they were sitting ... it was totally demolished."
Lowrey says all four family members were taken to the hospital.
"Heather was alive at the time that the ambulance showed up and saying that her stomach hurt and she couldn't breathe and apparently passed away either as soon as she got hospital or on the way there," Lowrey said.
Lowrey described his daughter as very smart, saying, "I think she was number two in her class when she graduated. She got the Governor's Scholarship then she went to the University of Arkansas and wound up with a chemical engineering degree."
As the family copes with the loss, Lowrey says he finds comfort in knowing his daughter had a strong faith, "Heather had a strong faith in Jesus ... It's sad losing her, but she's in a better place than we are."
Gary and Stacy Pope are two of the four injured victims of the crash, and Gary said he had just gone outside for a few minutes when he heard Stevens' truck.
"I walked outside of the door and immediately heard a pickup revving up his engine three or four times," Gary said. "They dropped it in gear, and he busted through the window."
He said the driver then tried to back out of the restaurant.
The truck hit Gary's booth first and pushed everything in the dining area to the back of the restaurant. Gary said there were eight people in the restaurant, four of whom were sitting behind him.
Stevens allegedly struck five people seated in the restaurant.
"It was chaos inside, and there was screaming and glass all over the place. The driver just sat in the truck and never tried to get out. He put his hands through the window like he was ready for him to be handcuffed," Gary said.
Gary said while Stevens sat in his truck, people in the restaurant immediately began helping one another.
"The restaurant was trying to help everybody out, and the police responded immediately. I mean, within two minutes, the police were there," Gary said.
Stacy has a broken leg from the incident, but Gary said they are just glad to be alive.
"She's in quite a bit of pain. But other than that, she's just gonna be alright," Gary said.
On June 28, Stevens pleaded guilty as charged and was sentenced to 27 years in prison, with an additional 13 years suspended.
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