Recent highway accidents claim two lives

Two people have died in recent highway accidents in the region.

The first accident occurred around 5:45 Wednesday evening on State Highway 5 in Stone County, just south of Mountain View. A two-vehicle collision took the life of a Mountain View woman, Shasta Corter, 38.

She was the driver of a 2016 Dodge Caravan traveling south on Highway 5.  A 2004 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, driven by Athos Johnstone-Hinton, 45, of Mountain View, was traveling north. State Trooper Garret D. Brock, in his initial report, said the Silverado traveled left of center and struck the left front of the Dodge Caravan.

Johnstone-Hinton was injured in the collision along with Albert Corter, 37, and the Corter’s two minor children. All of the injured were transported to the Stone County Medical Center. Trooper Brock said the weather was clear and the roadway dry at the time of the accident.  

The second wreck was a one-vehicle accident that occurred at mid-morning Thursday on State Highway 38 in White County.

The investigating officer, Trooper Quinton Maag, said in his preliminary report, that the victim, James L. Gaines, 63, of Searcy, was driving his 2004 Chevrolet eastbound on Highway 38 when the vehicle went off the roadway to the right. The report said Gaines then over-corrected and came back across both traffic lanes before leaving the roadway on the left. As it left the roadway, the Chevrolet began to overturn before striking a tree and coming to a final rest in the north roadside ditch.

Trooper Maag said the weather was clear and the roadway dry at the time of the accident.