The families of two young friends are trying to piece together the beginning of a story that ended early Saturday in the deaths of Brittany Sarah Stowman, 20, of Oakdale, and Charitie L. Foss, 20, of Woodbury.

Here's what they know: About 1:45 a.m. Saturday, the car Stowman was driving was seen headed eastbound in the westbound lane of I-494 at Hardman Avenue in South St. Paul. The car collided with an oncoming van driven by David J. Berens, and then with a Roundy's delivery truck driven by James W. Manny, 37, of Waupaca, Wis.

Foss died at Regions Hospital in St. Paul; Stowman died at Regina Medical Center in Hastings. The Minnesota State Patrol is continuing to investigate the cause of the crash and whether either woman had been drinking.

Berens suffered minor injuries and Manny was not injured. Neither had alcohol in their systems, according to the State Patrol. Neither could be reached for comment Saturday.

Stowman's grandfather, Richard Stowman, thought the two women might have been visiting friends across town.

Stowman, who had lived with her grandfather until recently, was working as a medical assistant for a dermatologist and wanted to do "a million things," her grandfather said. She had a 2-year-old son, Tony.

Foss was a student at Century College. According to her MySpace page, she hoped to transfer soon to an out-of-state college to study psychology.

"She loved to laugh," said her uncle, Rick Foss. "She could light up a room."