Three dead in crash on St. Louis bridge

ST. LOUIS — Three people are dead after a head-on crash on a Mississippi River bridge in St. Louis.

The accident happened Tuesday night on the McKinley Bridge. Authorities on Wednesday identified those involved as 48-year-old Jerry Nuckolls of High Ridge, Mo., 26-year-old Milton Dowell of Venice, Ill., and 23-year-old Rico Newsome of Madison, Ill.

Investigators believe a Ford Escape driven by Nuckolls crossed the center line and struck a car driven by Dowell. The force of the accident flipped the Escape onto its roof.

Another passenger in Dowell’s car is hospitalized and is in stable condition.

The accident shut down the bridge for nearly seven hours.