PHOENIX -- One of the nine Arizonans killed in Sunday night's bus crash in Utah was a certified dive master.

James "Jay" Baumer, 41, had a smile that could only be described as contagious, according to Tina Lowe, a friend.

"No matter what was going on, he'd open up his arms and give you a hug," Lowe said.

His long-time girlfriend Kim Bidle took the trip with him.

"They were always together," Lowe said. "What I would say, 'the perfect couple.'"

Bidle and her mother sat one seat in front of Jay. They both survived and are now recovering in a Flagstaff hospital.

"It's surreal," Lowe said. "To think I can't pick up the phone and call him anymore. It's going be tough."

Meantime, a memorial service for Deer Valley High School students Jasmine Bowden, Erica Sheffey and Marc Rasmussen will be held next Wednesday at the Community Church of Joy.

Sunday's bus crash occurred near Mexican Hat in the Four Corners area, where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet. The bus plunged 41 feet down an embankment and rolled several times. The impact sheared off the roof, ejecting most of the 51 passengers, who were returning to the Phoenix area from a ski trip to Telluride, Colo.

The nine people killed in the crash lived in the Phoenix and Tucson areas and included a 12-year-old and four high school students. The bus driver, Welland Lotan, 71, survived.

Passengers In Crash Hire Law Firm

A Scottsdale law firm said Thursday that it is representing passengers who were injured in a southeastern Utah bus crash that killed nine Arizona residents.

The Scottsdale-based MG Law Group said in a statement that family members of the injured passengers have retained the firm in the case. Nearly two dozen were hurt, although lawyers didn't specify how many they represented.

Firm partner Scott Maasen was in Flagstaff on Thursday to interview some of those who were injured, and was not immediately available for comment.

Maasen said in a statement that finding out what happened leading up to and in the aftermath of the crash is important to helping the injured and their families heal physically and emotionally.

"We want to do whatever we can to support these families in that recovery," Maasen said.

The statement said MG Law Group specializes in representing victims of trucking and bus accidents.

Kimball Kinnersley, safety director for Omaha, Neb.-based Arrow Stage Lines, the bus operator, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment early Thursday afternoon. An Arrow Stage executive, Bruce Neuharth, said earlier this week that the bus was new and "in perfect working order."

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.