Early Friday morning, tragedy struck in Mathias, West Virginia on the state line between Virginia and West Virginia. Five James Madison University students, all 19 years old, were traveling south on W.Va. 259 when their vehicle left the highway and struck a tree.

Three of the five students, John "Luke" Fergusson, of Richmond, Nicholas Troutman, of Richmond and Joshua Mardis, of Williamsburg, were killed at the scene. The driver and one other passenger were life-flighted from the scene in critical condition.

The Hardy County Sheriff’s Office said there were no skid marks on the highway and no signs of an animal being struck. The sheriff's department stated the dry atmospheric conditions were clear when the crash took place. The vehicle was at the Paradise City Club prior to the crash.

JMU Vice President