Patricia Minga Killed in Hot Springs Crash on Hobson Avenue
Suspect faces manslaughter charges after fleeing traffic stop and striking victims' vehicle on Hobson Avenue
Patricia Minga, 73, of Jonesboro, was killed in a car accident on Hobson Avenue at Fifth Street in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on Thursday, March 12, according to the Hot Springs Police Department.
Lee Amos Smith, 50, faces two counts of manslaughter, fleeing, leaving the scene of an accident involving death, and theft by receiving. Officers arrested him following a brief foot pursuit near Fourth Street and South Avenue after he ran from the scene.
The collision occurred when a stolen vehicle fleeing an attempted traffic stop struck an eastbound car carrying Minga and another woman. The pursuit began at the corner of Cleveland and White streets.
Minga and 78-year-old Kathryn White were pronounced dead. Two other people suffered injuries in the collision, though their conditions were not released.
The crash remains under investigation.
The sudden loss of Minga leaves her family and community searching for answers after a routine drive ended in tragedy. When a fatal collision involves a fleeing suspect and a police pursuit, the investigation must examine both the driver's actions and the departmental protocols that preceded the crash.
National Legal Analyst Candice Bond, Managing Partner at Bond Legal, noted that "When I hear about high-speed collisions, I think about the heavy grief those families carry. A car's black box captures the five seconds before impact, showing if there wasn't even a tap on the brakes."
Why did the stolen vehicle strike the car on Hobson Avenue?
Investigators will reconstruct the sequence of events from the initial traffic stop attempt at Cleveland Street to the final impact. This includes reviewing dashcam footage, intersection sightlines, and the speeds reached during the pursuit. The Hot Springs Police Department's pursuit policy dictates that officers should only engage when the need for apprehension outweighs the risk to the public, a standard that will be heavily scrutinized in this case.
How do criminal charges impact the civil investigation?
While the suspect faces severe criminal charges, including manslaughter and fleeing, families of victims often pursue parallel civil actions to secure accountability. The criminal case focuses on penalizing the offender, while the civil framework addresses the financial and emotional devastation left behind.
National Legal Analyst Stefano Formica, Of Bond Legal, observed that "The grief of a fatal wreck is a heavy burden for any community to carry. Speed differential is actually the biggest factor in crash severity, even more than how fast a car was going overall."
The intersection of criminal liability and municipal oversight requires a thorough examination of all available evidence, from police dispatch logs to vehicle telemetry data.
Arkansas wrongful death statute
Under Ark. Code § 16-62-102, surviving family members may file a wrongful death action. The state applies modified comparative fault (50% bar). The statute of limitations for wrongful death claims is 3 years.
Recoverable damages may include loss of financial support, loss of companionship and consortium, funeral and burial expenses, and the decedent's pre-death pain and suffering.