GLENDALE, Ariz. — It was a solemn Wednesday morning at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale where dozens of students gathered in a prayer circle for two classmates involved in a tragic car crash.
Jaxson Elliot, 16, was killed and Jett Weinstein, 17, was badly injured in a single-car crash on Interstate 17 near Cordes Junction on Sunday.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety said their car drifted toward the shoulder. The driver steered left and the car began to spin. The car hit a guardrail attenuator, which is supposed to absorb impact, but it instead impaled the car and injured both teens inside.
Elliot was declared dead at the scene.
Weinstein has serious injuries, including several broken bones and a leg that needed to be amputated.
“He’s alert. He opens his eyes. He blinks to me. He’ll squeeze my hand. He tries to talk with his hands," Joshua Weinstein, Jett Weinstein's father, said.
Joshua Weinstein told 12News his son has a long road to recovery and several more surgeries scheduled.
“He needs the prayer. He needs the support," Weinstein said. “He’s been fighting through this.”
The high school senior is athletic, determined and a great brother, according to Weinstein.
Weinstein said the teens were on their way home after snowboarding in Flagstaff.
“He’s just an amazing human being and I’m proud to be his dad," Weinstein said.
Both of the teens' families attended the prayer circle and thanked the community for gathering around them during this difficult time.
“It means a lot. Jaxson was an amazing son, stepson," a family member said during the prayer circle.
Mountain Ridge High School Principal David Vines sent a letter home to families regarding the incident.
"Please join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of everyone affected," Vines said in the letter. "Our school community is deeply saddened by this loss, but we feel fortunate to belong to the Mountain Ridge family, where we can help each other through difficult times."
The school brought in additional counselors to support students and staff after the loss.
Friends of Weinstein created a GoFundMe page to help family pay for medical expenses. Donations can be made here.