A student at Washington & Lee University in Virginia and a New Canaan native died Tuesday morning after being involved in a single-car wreck that also involved nine other students from the school, school officials announced Tuesday.
According to President Kenneth P. Ruscio, senior Kelsey Durkin was one of the ten students involved in a wreck that has resulted in DUI charges for the driver, according to The Roanoke Times.
A candlelight vigil in memory of Durkin was scheduled to occur in front of the school's chapel Tuesday evening that the community could support each other.
Ruscio issued a statement Tuesday afternoon that read, in part:
"Our hearts go out to the family of Kelsey Durkin and her many friends on this campus. Kelsey, a senior from New Canaan, Connecticut, was the student who died in the accident early this morning.
"There are no words to express the grief we feel over the loss of someone taken from us so suddenly and tragically. In the days ahead, in the weeks and months ahead, our sadness will be lessened only by the memories of her time with us.
"This is a community of compassion and caring friendships. That makes the sadness we feel deep and genuine. But this is also a community of strength and support for one another, and we need now more than ever to call upon that most precious quality. I don’t need to remind you to be there for one another, to draw support from our ability to care for each other, to keep the Durkin family especially in your thoughts and prayers, and to be there for them.
"We will continue to provide information and updates, including plans for a memorial service for Kelsey, as they become available."
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