Derek Phillips and David Rizzo Jr., recent graduates of Upper St. Clair High School, had come up with an idea of what they wanted to do with their lives.

They joked about going into business together, said Janet Phillips, Mr. Phillips' mother.

" 'You'll be the electrician and I'll be the carpenter, and we'll be rich,' " was the plan, Ms. Phillips said. "They just had their goals set, and everything was clicking for them."

Shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, the car they were riding in crashed in Banksville, killing the two 20-year-olds and Mr. Rizzo's girlfriend, Tara Schulz, 18, all of Upper St. Clair.

Two others in the car -- the driver, Ryan D. Safka, and another passenger, Brendon Johnson, both 18 and from Pittsburgh -- were injured and taken to city hospitals for treatment, state police said. Their conditions were not known Sunday night.

The 2007 Dodge Caliber Hatchback that the five were riding in left the inbound lanes of the Parkway West/Interstate 376, about a quarter-mile east of the Parkway Center Mall entrance ramp, state police said. The car traveled over the guide rail into a wooded area and rolled over several times before stopping 50 feet south of the road.

The injured driver and passenger got out of the vehicle and called for help, police said.

State police were investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the crash and whether the occupants of the car were wearing seat belts.

Ms. Phillips said her son was planning to meet Mr. Rizzo and Ms. Schulz for a movie or to grab a sandwich. Before he left home, Mr. Phillips told his mother he was feeling happy about his job and his new girlfriend.

"He said to me, 'Mom, I am on cloud nine. Everything's going good; I'm just so happy.' "

Mr. Phillips, a 2008 graduate, and Mr. Rizzo, a 2009 graduate, became friends at Upper St. Clair High School. The young men were working at restaurants and figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives.

Mr. Phillips had attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for a short time, his mother said, and was working at McDonald's on Washington Road in Peters, saving money and planning to attend carpentry school.

Mr. Phillips began working full time at McDonald's in October and was named employee of the month in January.

"He was a very hard worker and will be missed by all of us," said Rachel Ritchie, who was training Mr. Phillips for a promotion to a management position.

He shoveled snow and cut the grass for some of his elderly neighbors. He made sure to cut the grass at an angle to "give it some flair," his mother said.

Mr. Rizzo was working at Al's Cafe in Bethel Park, where he was a busboy. He started working there about four years ago as a dishwasher. His hard work was noticed and he was promoted to a busboy.

"David was a well-liked, hard-working, well-mannered, sensitive, good guy," said Shayne Jezioro, a manager at Al's Cafe.

He was trying to figure out what to do with his life and had toyed with the idea of going into the Air Force or back to school, but recently decided he wanted to become an electrician's apprentice and learn the craft.

He loved spending time with his parents, two older sisters, younger brother and 4-year-old niece.

"His family meant a lot to him," said his sister, Amy Rizzo, of Dormont. "If one of us weren't here for Christmas dinner or his birthday, it tore his heart out."

He loved camping, hunting and riding all-terrain vehicles, she said. It was on a camping trip to Pymatuning last summer that he met Ms. Schulz. According to her Facebook page, Ms. Schulz graduated in 2009 from Pymatuning Valley High School in Andover, Ohio. In December, she moved into the Rizzo home in Upper St. Clair.

"When we brought her in as part of our family, she was like a sister," Ms. Rizzo said. "She was comfortable."

She won the family over with her cinnamon buns and her love of cleaning.

On Saturday, she mentioned that she was interested in getting involved with early childhood education, said Ann Rizzo, Mr. Rizzo's mother.

Neither the Rizzo nor the Phillips families knew the identities of the injured driver or passenger last night.

"We have a lot of questions and no answers," Amy Rizzo said.

Funeral arrangements are not yet complete.

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