Sheriff releases name, additional details in deadly Greers Ferry Dam crash

CLEBURNE COUNTY, Ark. – The Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office released the name of the driver killed and details about the passenger in a Sunday morning crash at Greers Ferry Dam.

A spokesperson said the driver, 30-year-old Ismael Ponce of Clarksville, was believed to be ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. His 28-year-old passenger was airlifted to Little Rock and is stable but in critical condition, deputies said.

Officials said deputies were dispatched to the dam just before 10 a.m. Sunday after OnStar reported a crash. When deputies arrived, they reported finding a vehicle at the bottom of the dam’s eastern side by the Little Red River, below where a fence had been damaged.

Sheriff Chris Brown said investigators determined the vehicle went through the fence and overturned, hitting the dam slope before coming to rest at the bottom, just below the John F. Kennedy Overlook and Memorial.

Brown said department investigators are still working to identify the factors leading to the wreck.

Officials said deputies were assisted by Arkansas State Police, the Corps of Engineers, Tumbling Shoals-Ida EMS, Search & Rescue, Heber Fire, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission and Office of Emergency Management in getting to the vehicle.

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