It was supposed to be a "last big hurrah" after graduation - a trip to Bonnaroo, a music festival in Manchester, Tennessee, before starting their new jobs after college.
“It was a lot of people’s last big event that they could do with all of our college friends before moving to all sorts of places and started their jobs so, we were all very excited going into it," Bianca Price told 11Alive's Elwyn Lopez.
But they were only an hour into the drive on State Road 136 in Georgia when friends say three University of Georgia graduates crashed. Kylie Thurber, 22, and Grayson Martin, 22, were critically injured.
"Grayson actually texted me an hour before this accident happened and told me this was the best weekend of her whole life, so that hits hard, you know?" Price said.
Price says the silver Nissan Rogue carrying Thurber, Martin and Rory Croawell crashed into a truck. The driver of the truck and his wife are recovering from non life-threatening injuries, according to his son, who reached out to 11Alive. 11Alive has also reached out to the Georgia State Patrol for a copy of the crash report.
Both occupants of the truck were also taken to a hospital in Chattanooga but have since been released. Meanwhile, Thurber and Martin are recovering from serious injuries in Chattanooga.
“Kylie broke 10 of her ribs in 20 different places, and both of her lungs collapsed," Price said.
As for Grayson, "She's a really bad break in her arm. Her femur just got smashed," Price added.
Price says Croawell, the third person in that car, suffered a fractured hip and a concussion, but went to get help for their friends.
“They were in the middle of nowhere, and had no cell service when this happened, so Rory had to get out of the car and run up and down the highway trying to get service to try to call someone. She had to go to the closest house and use the landline to get help," she said.
Price launched a GoFundMe page to help the two UGA grads with their medical bills, and it was met with overwhelming support.
“Within 48 hours, it was at over $30,000, which is incredible and really is just a testament to these girls’ friends and families," Price said.
And while the road to recovery is long, Grayson and Kylie’s zest for life remains.
"The first thing she said when she woke up from her surgery was stuff about Bonnaroo ... Talking about this to the doctors, so if anything shows you, they are both trying to stay in high spirits even though everything is pitting against them,” Price said.
Price says Thurber and Martin will be returning to Atlanta this week to continue their recovery.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story reported that the crash was in Tennessee. It has since been corrected.