Rainy weather blamed in four-car accident that claimed Bella Vista woman Tuesday afternoon

Rainy conditions and wet roads were a factor in a Tuesday afternoon wreck involving four vehicles at the 67-mile marker of I49 in Washington County that resulted in the death of an elderly Bella Vista woman and sent three others to area hospitals for treatment of unspecified injuries according to the Arkansas State Police.

According to an ASP preliminary accident report posted early Wednesday morning, a 2013 Hyundai in the far left lane lost control and sideswiped a 2014 Buick driven by Adele Simmons of Little Rock in the right middle lane of the interstate. That caused a chain reaction resulting in a 2021 Toyota driven by Tracy Blessing, 52, of Springdale striking the Buick in the rear.

When the Blessing vehicle came to rest, it was struck from the rear by another 2013 Toyota driven by an unknown driver.

Eighty-seven-year-old Nan Brooks, a passenger in the Buick, was killed in the crash. The driver, Simmons, as well as another passenger, 86-year-old James A Brooks of Bella Vista, along with Blessing, were all taken to either Washington Regional or Northwest Medical centers for treatment of injuries.

Cpl Aaron Keith, who worked the accident for the ASP, noted the wet pavement and rainy conditions as possible factors in the accident, which occurred at 1:55 p.m. within the city limits of Fayetteville.