Two men from different states lost their lives in separate crashes along Interstate 40 in Johnson County, Arkansas, less than 17 hours apart. Johnathon Edwards, 22, of Coal Hill, Arkansas, and Michael Benjamin Morris, 46, of Estill Springs, Tennessee, were killed after their vehicles left the interstate and struck trees in separate incidents on November 2 and 3, 2026.
The first crash happened Monday afternoon, November 2, at approximately 2:06 p.m. Edwards was driving a 2015 Ram pickup eastbound on I-40 when the truck left the roadway near mile marker 47 and struck a tree. The crash occurred near Coal Hill in Johnson County.
According to the crash report, the weather was clear and the roadway was dry when Edwards lost control of his vehicle. There were no other vehicles involved, and authorities reported no additional injuries. Edwards did not survive the crash. His body was taken to the Johnson County coroner.
Less than 17 hours later, another fatal crash occurred along the same interstate. This time, the victim was Morris, a 46-year-old man from Estill Springs, Tennessee.
Morris was traveling westbound on I-40 in a 2024 Ford when his vehicle left the roadway near mile marker 53 and struck a tree. The crash happened at approximately 7:03 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, just a few miles from where Edwards had died the previous afternoon.
The conditions were different during the second crash. Rain had left the roadway wet, according to the crash report. Morris also died at the scene of the crash. No other vehicles or additional injuries were listed in the report. His body was taken to the Johnson County coroner’s office.
The two crashes happened in opposite directions along the same stretch of Interstate 40. One involved a young man from Arkansas, while the other claimed the life of a Tennessee resident. Both incidents involved vehicles leaving the roadway and striking trees.
Arkansas State Police investigated both crashes. Although the incidents happened separately, their close timing and similar circumstances have drawn attention to the two deaths along the busy interstate.
For the families and friends of Edwards and Morris, the dates November 2 and 3 will now carry a painful meaning. Two men who left home on separate journeys never made it to their destinations. Their deaths have left loved ones facing the difficult reality of losing someone they expected to see again.
Johnathon Edwards was 22. Michael Benjamin Morris was 46. Both men lost their lives within hours of each other on the same interstate in Johnson County, Arkansas.
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