Tonya Hottel Involved in Fatal Jonesboro Intersection Crash

On May 20, 2025, a vehicular collision occurred at the intersection of Flint Street and West Washington Avenue in Jonesboro, Arkansas, involving Tonya Hottel, a 71-year-old resident of Jonesboro. Hottel was operating a 2015 Cadillac SRX westbound on West Washington when her vehicle was struck by a 2024 Buick Encore driven by Norman Rudd, aged 90, who was traveling southbound on Flint Street. According to the Jonesboro Police Department, Rudd failed to stop at a red light, resulting in the impact that caused extensive front-end damage to Hottel’s SUV and damage to the driver’s side and front-end of Rudd’s vehicle. Initial assessments by responding officers indicated no immediate threat to life.

Subsequent developments confirmed a graver outcome. On May 29, 2025, authorities were notified that Rudd had succumbed to his injuries on May 23 at Regional One Health in Memphis, Tennessee, attributing his death to the injuries sustained in the collision.