RICHMOND, Va. -- Multiple James Madison University students were killed in a Thursday night crash, the university confirmed in a letter to the JMU community on Friday.
"It is with a heavy heart and sadness I write to inform you of the loss of several JMU students from a tragic car accident that occurred last night in West Virginia," JMU Vice President for Student Affairs Tim Miller said in a statement.
On Friday afternoon, JMU identified the victims in Thursday's crash as sophomore John "Luke" Fergusson of Richmond, sophomore Nicholas Troutman of Richmond and sophomore Joshua Mardis of Williamsburg.
Jonathan Alger, JMU's president, shared the following statement with the campus community:
"The loss our community has felt today is unthinkable. We share our sincere condolences to our university community as a whole, but specifically to the families, friends and others with close connections to the students we’ve lost.
In these moments of significant grief, it is more important than ever to support and care for one another. Kindness, understanding and hope are things we all need to give and receive in the coming days and weeks ahead.
John “Luke” Fergusson (sophomore, majoring in media arts and design from Richmond), Nicholas Troutman (sophomore, majoring in business management from Richmond) and Joshua Mardis (sophomore, majoring in communication studies from Williamsburg) were the JMU students who died in a tragic car accident overnight.
These three young men will always be remembered as Dukes and will forever be in our hearts.
In addition, please keep the two other students involved, who were also injured and are currently hospitalized from this accident, in your thoughts."
The Hardy County, West Virginia Sheriff's Office confirmed the crash happened at about 10:30 p.m. on West Virginia Route 259 near the West Virginia-Virginia state line.
"Upon arrival, deputies were able to determine the involved vehicle had been traveling south before leaving the roadway and striking a tree," a Hardy County Sheriff's Office spokesperson wrote in an email. "The road condition at the time was dry and atmospheric conditions clear. The were no signs of skid or yaw marks noted on the roadway surface indicating any type of evasive actions and no indications of an animal being struck."
Deputies said there were five JMU students in the car when it crashed.
Three of the students were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
A fourth and fifth student were flown to the hospital in critical condition.
All of the students were 19-year-old males, according to investigators.
While the names of those involved in the crash have not been officially released, CBS 6 has learned more than one student involved in the crash is from the metro-Richmond area.
JMU is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and is about a two-hour drive from Richmond.
"The university is currently working to confirm details with local authorities and the families of the students," Miller's statement continued. "Families of the students have been notified of the accident and the university is working to provide additional support."
"It is a difficult moment at James Madison University. There are heavy hearts on our campus as we process the loss of these students," JMU spokesperson Mary-Hope Vass said in a statement about the crash. "We’re also working to provide counseling and mental health support across campus during this hard time."
Sheriff's investigators shared the students were at a club prior to the crash but did not indicate whether alcohol played a role in the crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
