2 Brothers Killed in Car Crash on Way to School in Virginia

Two brothers headed to school died Thursday after their car ran off the road in Northern Virginia and slammed into trees, Virginia State Police said.

Ian D. Brown, 18, and Jalen Brown, 15 were headed to Spotsylvania High School about 7:15 a.m. when the car the older boy was driving ran off Lady Smith Road (Route 639) about 1/4 mile west of County Line Church Road in Ruther Glen, Virginia. The 2003 Jeep Liberty crashed into two trees, police said.

Both boys from Ruther Glen were pronounced dead along the side of the winding road on a foggy morning. Their mother, a teacher at Spotsylvania High, was about two minutes behind her sons on the road and "drove up on it, right after they crashed," a state police sergeant told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. The boys had been wearing seat belts, police said. 

Grief counselors were available Thursday at Spotsylvania High, where Ian Brown was a senior and Jalen Brown was a sophomore. Classmates gathered at the school Thursday night for a candlelight vigil, where police kept out reporters. 

A makeshift memorial with crosses and notes had been laid at the scene by Thursday night.

A memorial service will be held for Ian and Jalen Brown at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, at Spotswood Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Likewise, a GoFundMe site has been established by a member of the community for donations to help the family.

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