Friends and loved ones held a candlelight vigil for Conner Rice, a 15-year-old Queen Anne boy, who died in a crash on the way to school. The collision occurred at U.S. Route 301 and state Route 304. The accident happened as Connor, his brother Hayden Clark Rice, 17, and Brandon Tyler Kaiser, 16, were headed to Queen Anne’s County High School.

Maryland State Police said Hayden Rice, driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee west on Route 304, failed to yield the right of way to traffic on Route 301. A Ford F-250, being driven south on Route 301 by Richard Anthony Niski of Dover, DE struck the passenger side of the Jeep. The Jeep overturned and Kaiser was thrown from the back seat. Connor had been sitting in the front passenger seat.

Both Kaiser and Hayden Rice were flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center for their injuries. Hayden Rice has been discharged from the trauma center, and Kaiser is in fair condition. Niski was treated at and released from Chester River Hospital Center in Chestertown.

Connor is the son of Todd and Robin Clark Rice and grew up in Queen Anne. He played several sports, including soccer and Little League baseball, and was a member of the JV cross country team. Also surviving is Hayden, and brother, Nathan James Rice.