Three Grand Canyon University freshmen were killed in a wrong-way crash Monday morning.
The female students, Abriauna Hoffman, 18, Magdalyn ‘Maggie’ Ogden, 18, and Hunter Balberdi, 19, were one of 4 vehicles involved in the crash at around 4 a.m., reported ABC15. The wrong-way driver was allegedly alone, driving northbound in the southbound lanes on Interstate 17. Two of the girls were pronounced dead at the scene, and the third was in critical condition but later died at a Phoenix hospital, the outlet reported.
The driver of the wrong-way vehicle was transported to the hospital in serious condition, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) said in a press release. The drivers of the two other cars involved in the collision sustained non-life threatening injuries, according to DPS. (RELATED: Fiery, High-Impact Los Angeles Car Crash Kills 6 And Injures 9)
DPS suspect impairment may have caused the crash, but an investigation is ongoing, they said.
It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we share with you that three GCU students passed away this morning after a collision. The 3 students – Abriauna Hoffman, Hunter Balberdi and Magdalyn “Maggie” Ogden – were all freshmen and suitemates in Diamondback Apartments (1/3)
— Grand Canyon U (@gcu) October 11, 2022
Hoffman was reportedly a marketing and advertising major at GCU, and Ogden and Balberdi with both pre-med.
“They were all really sweet,” Ella McGinley, a GCU student, shared with ABC15.
McKinley and another student, Sasha Snegirova, were reportedly hanging out with the victims right before the crash. Snegirova shared that Ogden had celebrated her birthday two days prior.
“We did exactly what they did two weeks ago,” said McGinley. “We left at two in the morning to go see the sunrise at the Grand Canyon and that’s what they were going to do. Because we go on trips every weekend. It’s weird now. I don’t want to go on trips anymore.”
Snegirova shared the girls’ departure felt weird to her, saying, “Even when I said goodbye, the hug. They all hugged us really tight. It was really weird.”
“Even when I said bye, I was like ‘Ella, I love them so much,'” she highlighted.
The Arizona Department of Transportation is aware that wrong-way driving has been a persistent issue, ABC15 reported. The department launched a wrong-way vehicle alert and detection system following a similar accident occurred in 2017 when two GCU students were killed in a wrong-way crash, according to the outlet.
In a press release shared by ABC15, ADOT stated the system has reduced police response time and has lowered risks associated with impaired drivers. The department, however, is aware the technology can’t fully prevent accidents occurring from wrong-way driving. (RELATED: Even Blue States Think Biden’s EV Charging Station Plan Needs A Reality Check)
“The system is designed to quickly alert DPS troopers and ADOT to potential wrong-way vehicles much faster than 911 calls from other drivers,” ADOT said in a statement. “As a statewide community, we all just continue to battle against impaired driving.”