2 hurt in wrong-way crash. Intoxicated driving suspected

RIDGEWAY — Arkansas State Police say a woman and a toddler were hurt in a two-vehicle crash Saturday afternoon on U.S. Highway 65 north of Harrison, but neither driver was injured.
ASP Trooper First Class Jason Hutcheson said the first call he received was regarding a possibly intoxicated driver in a pickup in the area of Lilliehobbs Mercantile about 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The driver was no longer in the area when Hutcheson arrived, then the wreck itself was reported a few minutes later near the north exit of Ridgeway Loop.
According to Hutcheson, John Ahrens, 45, of Fayetteville was southbound in the northbound lane of travel in a 2019 Dodge Ram pickup.
Srinivasa Anisetti, 40, of Bentonville was northbound in a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. His wife, Irisoujna Anisetti, 39, and a 4-year-old child were passengers in the Pacifica, Hutcheson said. The child’s name wasn’t released
Hutcheson said the front of the pickup impacted the front passenger side of the van. He said Ahrens tried to turn to the left to avoid the collision.

Neither Ahrens nor the driver of the Pacifica sustained injuries, Hutcheson said, but the child was airlifted to Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, and Irisoujna Anisetti was taken to the same facility by ambulance.
Hutcheson said Ahrens is suspected of driving while intoxicated.
Records show Ahrens was booked into the Boone County Jail about 4 p.m. Sunday on second-degree battery, DWI, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, reckless driving, drinking in public, open container in vehicle and refusal to submit to chemical test, then released just before 8 a.m. Monday.
According to the latest data analysis from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, there were 2,008 deaths from wrong-way driving crashes on divided highways between 2015 and 2018, an average of approximately 500 deaths a year. That’s up 34% from the 375 deaths annually from 2010 to 2014.