UPDATE, VIDEO | Fatal crash victim identified as Hot Springs woman

UPDATE

The victim of a fatal crash Friday afternoon on East Grand has been identified as a Hot Springs woman, according to a summary of the fatal crash released by the Arkansas Department of Public Safety.

The report states Misty Rose Depew, 41, of Hot Springs, was a passenger in a 2001 Buick Century driven by Gary D. Depew, 42, of Hot Springs when the crash occurred.

According to the report, the Buick was heading east in the 2000 block of East Grand, approaching the area of ​​McClendon in the right lane when Gary Depew lost control of the vehicle and struck the guardrail on the right, then crossed both lanes of traffic and struck the guardrail of the bridge on the left. The driver of a 2016 Toyota Corolla, which was heading east in the left lane, attempted to avoid Depew's vehicle, but the left driver's side of the Toyota made “light contact” with the rear of the Buick. The impact caused the bridge railing to break and the Buick overturned and fell into the creek below.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

An unidentified woman was killed and a man injured after two cars collided on East Grand Avenue Friday afternoon, sending one vehicle crashing through a guardrail and into the Middle Branch of Gulpha Creek below, a Hot Springs police said.

The Hot Springs Police Department received a call about an injury collision in the 1900 block of East Grand around 12:46 p.m. Friday, and when officers arrived they found a 2001 Buick Century that had left the roadway, said HSPD Sgt. Joey Williams told The Sentinel-Record later in the day.

The Buick and a 2016 Toyota Corolla, driven by Lily Waycaster, 26, of Hot Springs Village, were both eastbound in the 1900 block when the Buick “lost control, left the roadway off the bridge and ended up upside down in the creek below,” Williams said.

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“We located a deceased woman at the scene and a man who was also in the vehicle,” he said, noting they were not releasing their names at this time pending notification of further details. close relatives.

Waycaster was not injured, Williams said. “She never left the road. She was just hit by the (Buick) which lost control.” He said the wreck was under investigation by the traffic division and the names would be released later.

A guardrail on the eastbound lane of East Grand was visibly damaged near the scene, where the vehicle could be seen upside down in the water.

About 10 marked HSPD units were on scene along with a number of officers, including Hot Springs Police Chief Billy Hrvatin.

At first, there was some confusion about how many occupants were in the Buick, but an investigation determined there were only two people, Williams said.

Members of the Hot Springs Police Department inspect and photograph a 2001 Buick Century that crashed through a guardrail on East Grand before landing upside down in the middle branch of Gulpha Creek, killing a woman. (The Sentinel-Record/James Leigh)