Memorial, fundraisers for 3 GCU students killed in wrong-way crash on I-17

A memorial and fundraisers were launched for three Grand Canyon University students who died after a wrong-way driver struck their vehicle on northbound Interstate 17 near Table Mesa Road early Monday.

The students were identified as Abriauna Hoffman, 18, Hunter Balberdi, 19, and Magdalyn "Maggie" Ogden, 18. The three were freshmen at GCU and suitemates in Diamondback Residence Hall, according to Bob Romantic, executive director of GCU’s Office of Communications and Public Relations.

Details about the crash

A driver was traveling southbound in the northbound I-17 lanes and crashed with three vehicles, including the vehicle the students were in, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Three people in the other two vehicles had minor injuries.

The wrong-way driver, who was alone in the car, was found unconscious and was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Bart Graves, a spokesperson with DPS, said the driver was a 25-year-old man from Tempe. As of Wednesday, he remained at the hospital with serious injuries, Gravessaid. The driver has yet to be identified.

Officials haven't ruled out impairment as a factor in the collision.

According to data provided by DPS, as of Oct. 12, 2022, there had been 42 wrong-way crashes in Arizona this year, and 14 of those were fatal. This compares with 44 wrong-way crashes in 2021, 14 of those fatal.

'A bright and positive life has been cut too short'

Balberdi from Wailuku, Hawaii, and Ogden of Clarkston, Washington, were pre-med students studying biology. Hoffman, also from Clarkston, was a marketing and advertising major, Romantic said. Students started a memorial with pictures and flowers in front of the Diamondback Residence Hall in their honor.

Placed at the memorial were also boxes for people to place letters of condolences for the families of Balberdi, Ogden and Hoffman.

A fundraiser was launched for Balberdi’s family to help cover the costs for airfare, funeral and memorial services. The description of the GoFundMe says her loss was a shock to the family and the Maui community.

“A bright and positive life has been cut too short,” the description says. As of Thursday morning, almost $49,000 had been raised for the $20,000 goal.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige released a statement to share his condolences with Balberdi’s family, including her father, Deputy Sheriff Jonathan Balberdi.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Balberdi ‘Ohana and Elaine’s friends during this very difficult time,” Ige said.

The Clarkston School District and the Snake River Juniors Volleyball Club posted statements to share their condolences with the families of Ogden and Hoffman. Ogden and Hoffman graduated this past spring from Clarkston High School.

“This is an unspeakable loss for all who knew them and they will be forever missed. To Abe's and Maggie's family, friends, coaches and teammates; you are all in our thoughts and prayers as you try to heal from this loss,” the club’s post says.

According to a GoFundMe started to help Ogden’s family, she leaves behind her two parents and two sisters. It had raised about $12,100 of the $20,000 goal as of Thursday.

“Mr. & Mrs. Ogden will need this time to be with family and have time to process something no parent should ever go through. As well as their other 2 daughters Ruth & Ella, who have lost a sister,” the description of the fundraiser says.

A fundraiser was also launched for Hoffman’s family, and it had raised about $18,500 of the $20,000 goal as of Thursday. In the GoFundMe’s description, it says Hoffman cared deeply for her loved ones.

“She was just beginning her beautiful life, but in that short time, she touched many people’s hearts in the most beautiful way. Abriauna was the kind of person who would bring a smile to everyone’s faces even in the hardest of times,” the description says.

Similar tragedy 5 years ago

More than five years ago, the GCU community was mourning the loss of sisters Karli Arlene Richardson, 20, and Kelsey Mae Richardson, 18, who died after a wrong-way driver crashed into their vehicle on I-17 near Greenway Road on April 14, 2017.

Kelsey had flown from North Carolina to spend time with Karli in Phoenix for Easter. The sisters were headed to the Grand Canyon to see the sunrise when the crash happened.

The wrong-way driver, identified as 21-year-old Keaton Allison, drove nearly six miles southbound in the northbound lanes of the freeway. He died at the scene.

A report showed Allison had a blood-alcohol level of 0.25 percent, which is three times the legal limit, at the time of the collision.

Karli Richardson and Allison were students at GCU and Kelsey Richardson was studying at Western Carolina University.

Gov. Doug Ducey issued a statement in June 2017 calling for action from state transportation and public-safety agencies to address wrong-way driving in Arizona.

In January 2018, the Arizona Department of Transportation implemented a thermal camera system along I-17 to avoid crashes involving wrong-way drivers. The $4 million system, which began operating between the Interstate 10 “stack” interchange and Loop 101, detects wrong-way vehicles and alerts law enforcement and warns other drivers.

According to a 2020 ADOT news release, the system had proven reliable and resulted in faster response times by law enforcement compared with waiting for 911 calls from other drivers.

The thermal camera detection technology has since been used at interchanges on other freeways such as Loop 202 and Loop 303.

Reach breaking news reporter Angela Cordoba Perez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Memorial, fundraisers for 3 GCU students killed in wrong-way crash