SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – People in southwest Missouri are mourning the loss of three children who died in a crash on I-44 near Springfield. The Missouri Highway Patrol identifies the victims as 8-year-old Olivia, 7-year-old Angelina and 6-year-old Julia Dobos of Clever Missouri. Six other people were also hurt in the Thursday afternoon crash.
Police say the crash happened when the passenger van carrying the children swerved to avoid a collision with a semi merging back on to the interstate. The van ran off of the roadway and struck a cable barrier ejecting the three children from the van. Everyone in the van was wearing seatbelts.