Three college students, including two from Clarkston, die in crash near Phoenix

NEW RIVER, Ariz. — Three Grand Canyon University students, including two recent graduates of Clarkston High, died following a crash involving an alleged wrong-way driver Monday morning north of Phoenix, according to law enforcement and media reports.

The three women who died were Abriauna Hoffman, 18, of Clarkston; Magdalyn "Maggie" Ogden, 18, of Clarkston; and Hunter Balberdi, 19, of Kula, Hawaii. Their names were released by the Arizona Department of Safety, as well as Grand Canyon University in a message sent to students, faculty and staff.

The crash happened just before 4 a.m. Monday in the northbound lanes of Interstate 17 near Table Mesa Road when a Toyota SUV traveling the wrong way struck three other vehicles, according to the Arizona Department of Safety.

One of the vehicles was a Honda sedan in which the three GCU students were traveling. Two of the women were declared dead at the scene; the third later died at a Phoenix-area hospital, according to the Arizona Department of Safety.

The three women were freshmen and suite mates in the Diamondback Residence Hall. The school said Balberdi and Ogden were pre-med students studying biology, while Hoffman was a marketing and advertising major.

The drivers of the other two vehicles that were struck, a Nissan sedan and a commercial vehicle, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Toyota SUV traveling the wrong way was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to the Arizona Department of Safety.