Joplin-area crash claims three lives

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Three people from Oklahoma died Friday night after their car collided with a tractor-trailer and caught fire, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

The victims' car crossed the median on Interstate 44 west of Joplin and hit the side of the tractor-trailer, the patrol said. The rig overturned and both vehicles caught fire.

The victims were identified as Russell Gregson, 21; Nicole Turner, 19; and Keri Hopper, 16, all of Afton, Okla.