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HUNTINGTON BEACH (CNS) - Students and staff at Edison High School in Huntington Beach were mourning today the deaths of two students -- brothers who were active in the school's athletics programs -- in a crash involving a city vehicle.
Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil Monday night in honor of the students. Joshua Page, an 18-year-old senior football player at the school, was pronounced dead following the crash that occurred at 8:15 a.m. Monday at Newland Street and Yorktown Avenue.
His brother Jeremy, a 17-year-old sophomore, was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died overnight, officials said. Jeremy was a member of the Edison football and track teams.
Jennifer Carey of the Huntington Beach Police Department said the two students were in a Ford F-250 that was involved in a crash with a Chevrolet Silverado truck that belonged to the city and was driven by a 38-year-old city employee, who was uninjured.
By mid-morning Tuesday, a GoFundMe page established on behalf of the Page family had raised more than $80,000 to help with funeral expenses.
``As you can imagine, the Page family has had their entire world flipped turned upside down,'' family friend and school wrestling booster Ed LaLonde -- who established the fundraising effort -- wrote on the GoFundMe page. ``John and Shaya Page lost their two youngest sons and Jovanni lost his two younger brothers and his best friends.''
Since a city employee was involved in the crash, the Irvine Police Department has taken over the investigation into what caused the crash.
``I am so sorry to hear about the tragic traffic collision that took place this morning,'' Mayor Barbara Delgleize said. ``On behalf of myself and the City Council we wish to extend our sincerest condolences to the families impacted by this terrible accident.''