Three GCU students, roommates killed in I-17 crash near New River; alleged wrong-way driver arrested

NEW RIVER, Ariz. - Three freshman Grand Canyon University students and roommates were killed by a driver headed the wrong way on I-17 during the early-morning hours of Oct. 10, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.

According to DPS, a driver headed southbound in the northbound lanes collided with the students' vehicle, and two other cars, which were traveling northbound at around 4 a.m. The alleged wrong-way driver was unconscious at the scene and hospitalized, DPS said, and those in the other two cars are going to be OK. 

The students, however, didn't survive.

The alleged wrong-way driver, 25-year-old Vincent Acosta of Laveen, was arrested and booked into jail upon being released from the hospital.

According to court documents, Acosta had a blood-alcohol level of .129. Prior to the crash, 11 people called 911 to report having to swerve out of the way to avoid the wrong-way vehicle.

Acosta is accused of three counts of second-degree murder, 11 counts of endangerment, and two counts of aggravated assault. He is being held on a $1 million cash bond. 

Victims identified; friends, campus react

Nearly 12 hours after the crash, Grand Canyon University identified the three people killed in the crash as students of its university.

19-year-old Hunter Balberdi, 18-year-old Abriauna Hoffman, and 18-year-old Magdalyn "Maggie" Ogden were all freshmen and dorm roommates. Two of the three were pronounced dead at the scene, while the third died at the hospital.

Balberdi was from Wailuku, Hawaii and was a pre-med student studying biology. Ogden was from Clarkston, Washington and was also on the same education and career path as Balberdi. Hoffman, also from Clarkston, Washington, was studying marketing and advertising.

"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," read a portion of the university's statement.

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. The last time Solano saw Ogden was when she left to attend school at GCU.

"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.

The crash has not only shaken the victim's loved ones, but GCU and its community. A memorial has been put up for the victims on campus, and the university is expanding its services and operating hours for students in need this week.

"Mental health needs are growing across universities all throughout the nation," said GCU Counseling Services Manager Nicholas Rudgear. "We do the best that we can to meet the mental health needs of students."

GCU's Office of Student Care is offering additional support for students on how to deal with grief and loss.

"As far as our department goes, we offer individual counseling, group counseling, different workshops, crisis counseling, consultation appointments, and then also provide referrals to other professionals in the community if it's something that we need to do," said Rudgear.

Officials said they first reached out to students who were the victims' close friends and offer them support before they reached out to the entire campus, notifying everyone of the resources available.

"It could be hard for students to ask for help," said Rudgear. "It can be hard to speak up and say that, you know, ‘hey, I’m struggling in this kind of way,’ but we really try hard to make our services as accessible, as comfortable, as non-judgmental as possible, and try hard to meet those students where they are at, rather than necessarily waiting for them to come to us," said Rudgear.

GCU is offering support for students at the Office of Student Care on the second floor of the Student Life Building. You can also call 602-639-7007 or email studentcare@gcu.edu.

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