At 11:30 pm on Thursday , Lawrence County Dispatch received several 911 calls reporting a major crash at the intersection of highway 63 and highway 412 just south of Portia.  Portia Fire Department, Walnut Ridge Fire Department, Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies, and the Arkansas State Police were all notified of the accident involving a semi and two passenger vehicles. Portia responders were the first on scene, at 11:35 pm the coroner was called. Highway 63 was closed due to the amount of debris on the highway.
According to the Arkansas State Police ,68 year old Steve Sumpter of North Carolina was killed when his 1980 Chevrolet pick up truck ran the stop sign at 412 West and struck a semi trailer in the side that was traveling north on highway 63. No other injuries were reported.
The Arkansas highway department was called to assist with clearing debris from the highway. One lane of traffic was reopened until the highway could be completely cleared around 2:30 am. Â Walnut Ridge Police Department along with the Black Rock PD assisted with traffic. The accident was investigated by the Arkansas State Police.