MATTAWAN, Mich. — Two Mattawan High School students are dead and three others are hospitalized after a vehicle carrying five students left the road and struck a tree on West R Avenue on Sunday, Oct. 18.
Watch: Mattawan community stands in 20 minutes of silence at vigil for two students killed in crash
One of the students who died was 16 years old. The other, Jordyn Bigham, was 15. Her family gave me permission to share Jordyn's photo.
Jordyn's 16-year-old sister, Jada, was also in the car and remains in the hospital. Two other Mattawan students, ages 16 and 17, are also still hospitalized.
On Monday, community members and neighbors came together in Mattawan to grieve. For 20 minutes, neighbors stood together in silence, communicating with a hug and marking the time with a drip of candle wax, struggling to find the words after a crash as horrible as this one.
Kourtney Roach organized the vigil.
"I think the silence...it made me cry. Only because, I feel like as a community when one of us hurts, we all hurt," Roach said.
Roach, a Mattawan alum and parent, reflected on the strength of the community.
"I love my community. We are Mattawan strong," Roach said.
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