Johnson County
Sheriff's Office
Clarksville, Arkansas
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04/28/2014

Dive Teams Locate Submerged Vehicle, Driver Killed

A 61 year-old North Little Rock resident was killed at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 27 when the vehicle she was driving west on I-40 struck a relative's vehicle, careened into the median and entered Piney channel between the I-40 bridges.

Witnesses entered the water and attempted to reach the vehicle but were unable to before it sank.

Dive teams from Johnson and Pope Counties, the R.F.D. 5 fireboat, Arkansas Game and Fish Officers, U.S. Forest Service, Sheriff's Office and Arkansas State Police personnel responded to the scene as well as numerous volunteers.

The dive teams entered the water around 4:30 p.m. and located the vehicle in approximately 30 ft. of water. 

 Divers attached three flotation bags to it and floated the vehicle just below the surface where it was towed to the shoreline and lifted by a wrecker at 7:45 p.m.

The driver was found in the vehicle and was pronounced dead by Johnson County Coroner Dave Cogan.

The work on the vehicle took over three hours with a combination of personnel in boats, in the water and on the shore.

The work continued through the rain, lightning and tornado warnings that repeatedly occurred.

The Arkansas State Police is investigating the accident.