2.55 AM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Boston bombing survivor dies in Dubai Ferrari crash

Published
By Bindu Rai

In a tragic turn of events that has left those who knew her stunned, another victim in the ill-fated Ferrari car crash from earlier this week has been identified as Northeastern University student Victoria McGrath.

The young woman had been a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, which killed three civilians and injured an estimated 264 others, sustaining injuries that saw her rescued near the finish line after a bystander had tied a tourniquet around her leg.

The other victim of the Sunday night car crash in Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) vicinity was identified as another Northeastern student, Priscilla Perez Torres.

 

Torres’ cousin was quoted in the ‘Boston Globe’ as saying the duo was on their way to Bali for spring break, with a stopover in Dubai.

Four people perished in the car crash, according to Dubai Police, when the rented supercar rammed into a lamppost and split into two.

A third victim was earlier identified as Toronto-based boxer Cody Nixon, whose last fateful Instagram post saw him posing with a yellow Ferrari before the crash.

In an emotional message, Northeastern University President Joseph E. Aoun confirmed the deaths of his two students, saying: “It is with the deepest sadness that I write to inform you that Victoria McGrath, DMSB ’16, and Priscilla Perez Torres, COS ’16, have perished in a car accident while traveling overseas.

“Victoria and Priscilla were vibrant, beloved members of our community, and their passing leaves a grievous absence in our community and in our hearts. This is a heartbreaking loss to their families, friends, and to all of us in the Northeastern family.”

Hailing from Weston, Connecticut, Aoun further stated McGrath was ‘devoted to helping others’.

He added: “[she] survived severe injuries during the Boston Marathon bombing. She was devoted to helping others through leadership in student organizations and community service work.”

Torres, according to Aoun, came to Northeastern from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and was ‘passionate about travel and working on issues related to nutrition and women’s health’, adding: “Each were kind, talented young women, with exceptional futures before them.”

Calling each other ‘best friends’, the duo’s Facebook accounts are peppered with celebratory pictures, along with some trials that had landed McGrath in the hospital post the Boston bombing, which even saw Hollywood star Bradley Cooper paying her a visit as she recovered.

Also Read: Video: Ferrari hits lamppost, splits in half; Boxer Cody Nixon, 2 others dead

The Ferrari crash is still under investigation; however, in an earlier report, Dubai Traffic Police Chief Colonel Saif Al Mazroui had stated the motorists were driving at high speed even as the speed limit in the area is 60kmph.

He further added, three individuals were in the speeding car, which is designed for seating two passengers.

Al Mazroui added the car veered off the road and hit the pavement before hitting lamppost on the street, causing the car to split break into two halves.

The force of the collision threw all passengers outside the car.

Meanwhile, friends and supporters of the other victim of the crash, Nixon, have peppered social media with messages of condolences.

Oshawa’s Motor City Boxing Club posting this message on Facebook: “It’s with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to Cody “C-4” Nixon. Cody lost his life yesterday while vacationing overseas. RIP Cody.”