ATHENS, Ga. — More than 1,000 people gathered Thursday afternoon for an emotional candlelight vigil honoring the four UGA students killed in a crash.
Brittany Feldman, 20, Halle Scott, 19, Kayla Canedo, 19, and Christina Semeria, 19, died Wednesday night when the car they were riding in crossed the center line and crashed into another car. Police say alcohol was not a contributing factor in the crash. The Georgia State Patrol said all of the victims except for Semeria was wearing a seatbelt.
The girls were all from metro Atlanta. Three of them graduated from Milton High School and the other from Dunwoody High School.
“I feel like all day I’ve just been saying ‘This is a really bad dream that I can’t wake up from,’” said one friend.
Students hugged and held each other up as friend after friend spoke about the impact the girls had on them and the community.
“All the girls would be proud to be a part of this. Everybody here is here because they’ve impacted your life somehow, so impact other people’s lives please,” said another friend.
The president of Alpha Chi Omega, the sorority that both Kayla and Christina were members of, broke down at the podium as she spoke about the girls, who she described as beautiful souls.
“If anything from this tragic situation can bring any peace of mind for me, it’s knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that these best friends met Jesus together last night,” she said.
Halle and Christina’s brothers also gave emotional speeches at the vigil.
UGA football coach Kirby Smart released a statement about the wreck, saying:
"Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of the Georgia students involved in the devastating automobile accident Wednesday night. It has brought tragedy to an entire campus and we extend our sincerest sympathy to all those who have been touched by this heartbreaking event."
All of the women in the car were wearing seatbelts except for Semeria, who was seated behind Kim, according to the GSP.
Semeria was ejected in the crash, which remained under investigation. No details were released on a possible cause of crash, but alcohol was not a factor, GSP told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.