Seneca teen killed, two others injured in Newton County crash

Jun. 9—An 18-year-old Seneca resident was killed and two other teens injured in a single-vehicle crash at 2:45 p.m. Thursday on Old Highway 60 Drive, 3 miles east of Seneca in Newton County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Steven N. Keith, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash by the Newton County coroner, the state patrol said. The driver of the vehicle, a 17-year-old boy, and a third occupant, Benjamin M. Greene, 18, also both of Seneca, were taken to Freeman Hospital West in Joplin with minor injuries.

Their westbound car ran off the road and struck a tree, the patrol said.

—Two area residents were injured in a two-vehicle accident at 8:10 a.m. Friday on Gateway Drive, 2 miles south of Joplin in Newton County, the state patrol said.

One of the drivers, Michael A. Holloway, 20, of Carl Junction, was flown by medical helicopter to Mercy Hospital Springfield, the patrol said. The other driver, Rose C. Johnson, 24, of Joplin, was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital Joplin, the patrol said. The injuries to both were termed serious.

Holloway was northbound in a car and made a left turn into the path of Johnson's southbound car, according to the patrol.

—A Carl Junction woman was injured in a single-vehicle crash at 2:23 p.m. Thursday on Fir Road, less than 2 miles west of Carl Junction in Jasper County, the state patrol said.

Krystal K. Brashears, 40, was taken to Freeman Hospital West with minor injuries..

She was a passenger in an eastbound car driven by Misty D. Kirk, 45, of Carl Junction, that went into a skid, ran off the road and overturned, the patrol said.

Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.