An El Dorado man was killed Friday in the second fatal ATV wreck to occur in Union County this month.
The Arkansas State Police reported that Christopher A. Harrison, 45, was travelling west on Pleasant Grove Road, south of El Dorado, on Friday around 6:45 p.m., riding a 1983 Honda ATV. A second driver in a 2002 Ford F-250 was meanwhile headed south on Highway 7.
According to state police, when Harrison entered the intersection onto the highway, he was struck by the truck and killed.
Road conditions were reportedly clear and dry at the time of the accident.
Earlier last week, on May 9, Ladarius Gatson, 42, of Spearsville, died in a single-vehicle ATV crash around 10:15 a.m.
Harrison is the 189th person to die in a highway accident in Arkansas so far this year, according to state police. His was the 170th fatal wreck to occur on a highway so far this year.
Harrison is the fifth person to be killed in a wreck in Union County so far this year, according to state police.
In addition to Gatson, Jason Langley, 46, of El Dorado was killed in a two-vehicle wreck on Highway 167 in April. That accident also left a Junction City man injured. In March, Chandler Knight, 20, of Hamburg was killed in a two-vehicle accident on Highway 82. Michael Simmons, 45, of Felsenthal was killed in a motorcycle wreck in Strong in February.
The ASP report on the May 13 accident does not indicate whether the F-250 driver was injured, nor does it include the driver's name.
The state police announced this week that a two-week "Click it or ticket" seatbelt enforcement campaign will begin on Monday, May 23, and continue through June 5.
"The objective is to change the ways of so many drivers and passengers who never use their seat belts," said Colonel Bill Bryant, director of the Arkansas State Police. "We want the act of buckling up to become instinctive for everyone anytime they get in a car or truck to travel."
A press release from the agency states that local law enforcement agencies will assist in the effort to ensure all motorists buckle up before taking to the streets.
According to the release, 10,893 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants were killed in crashes in the United States in 2020.
"During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we'll be working with our fellow law enforcement officers across local and state lines to ensure the message is getting out to drivers and passengers," Bryant said. "Buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life in a crash, and it's the law."