Two high school teens killed in I-96 rollover crash

(WJBK) - Michigan State Police say two Livingston County teens were killed in a tragic accident on I-96 Tuesday.

Julianna Ward Brown went to Howell High School, and Darian Locklear attended Brighton High School. Their hockey coach says the two teammates were inseparable.

The two were in a deadly crash at 5:45 p.m. on I-96 in Wheatfield Township. They were heading west, when police say the driver lost control, hit a tree, rolled over and hit a second tree. Even though both girls had their seatbelts on, they died from their injuries.

A GoFundMe account has been set up for the families of the victims. CLICK HERE to donate.

If you would like to make a donation in lieu of flowers, you can donate in two ways:

- The "Darian Locklear Hockey Scholarship Memorial Fund" is being established to help a young hockey player reach her dreams of playing college hockey.

- Donations can also be made to the HAVEN of Oakland County in lieu of flowers. All funds collected will be used to build a new playground to be named after Darian. The children of HAVEN will enjoy it for years to come. 

Investigators say alcohol does not seem to be a factor in the crash, but police are asking anyone with info to speak up to find out what happened.

"As a hockey coach we have girls coming from everywhere and we're a close knit family," said their coach Kurt Miller. "When tragedy strikes like this it really hurts."

Julianna and Darian played for Meijer Hockey AAA division team.

"Those girls were dedicated to hockey, they came to practice every day and always wore a smile."

One student said Brighton High School was in shock after hearing the news.

"As soon as it went over the PA system, the whole school has been the quietest I have ever heard it," said Dylan Licud. 

"It was totally silent when we found out."

A classmate of Darian's says she was such a sweet girl.

"She was a very nice young lady, everyone liked her," Licud said. "She was a joy to the whole school."

And one of Julianna's friends was too broken up to speak on camera and said "she looked on the bright side, was a hard worker, great teammate and competitor."