Three GCU students killed on I-17 after wrong-way driver causes horrific 4-vehicle collision
NEW RIVER, ARIZONA: Three Grand Canyon University (GCU) students were killed and four more people were injured in a four-vehicle collision involving a wrong-way driver on northbound Interstate-17 near Table Mesa Road, roughly 30 miles north of Phoenix, on Monday, October 10.
The identities of the victims were later revealed to be Abriauna Hoffman, Hunter Balberdi and Magdalyn "Maggie" Ogden. All three of them were freshmen at GCU and roommates in Diamondback Residence Hall. Both Hunter, 19, from Wailuku, Hawaii, and Maggie, 18, of Clarkston, Washington, were pre-med students studying biology. Abriauna, 18, also of Clarkston, was a marketing and advertising major, said Bob Romantic, executive director of GCU’s Office of Communications and Public Relations.
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Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical said a total of four people were taken to the hospital, and three people needed to be extricated from their vehicles. Two were pronounced dead at the scene. The third died at a hospital. The driver of the wrong-way vehicle survived the collision and was taken to the hospital, said the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Investigators are still trying to determine whether intoxication played a role in the collision. The other two automobiles’ drivers also weren’t critically harmed.
The crash closed northbound I-17 for about seven hours, said the Arizona Department of Public Safety. No other details were immediately made available.
“As the GCU family joins together to mourn the tragic loss of these students, we ask that you keep their families and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time and know that God is always there for us,” the university said in a statement.
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
Friends of the three victims are reacting to news of their deaths. "I just couldn’t believe it. It was so heartbreaking," said Ogden's friend Julia Solano.
"I walked through the door, and she gave me a big, big hug, and I actually wasn’t doing mentally OK at the time. She just made my day like so much better, and she was just talking to me about how everything is going to be OK," said Solano.
Tom Srail claims that Ogden had a big impact on him. “A very sweet person who enjoyed laughing and seeing others have a wonderful day. She enjoyed travelling and attending concerts," according to Srail. “I learned about it from a buddy. He very recently told me, maybe an hour or so ago, and I was pretty heartbroken. It was difficult to handle."
The news left a lot of pupils feeling uneasy. “I’m really depressed. That is the initial point. I was shocked when one of my pals texted me about it. Just heartbreaking to imagine what their families are presumably going through at this very moment," Junior Matthew Kerin remarked. “I can’t even begin to imagine."
Northbound I-17 was closed at milepost 236 and northbound traffic was being diverted back south at Table Mesa Road and had remained closed for several hours. As of late afternoon, the same day, the highway appeared to have reopened on AZ511.