DUBAI – Two American university students – including one who survived the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing – were among four people killed in the Ferrari car accident in Dubai on Sunday.
Victoria McGrath died along with her roommate, Priscilla Perez Torres, Northeastern University in Boston said. The two women were involved in the same crash that killed Canadian boxer Cody Nixon, 24, and his cousin, James Protuondo, 27, on Sunday.
The four were in a Ferrari 458 Spider when it hit a pavement, crashed into a lamppost and split in two in the early hours of Sunday. On Tuesday morning, Dubai’s chief traffic prosecutor Salah Bu Farousha said forensics tests showed the four people in the Ferrari had been drinking alcohol.
Bu Farousha said Portuondo was driving the vehicle, Nixon, 24, was sitting between the driver and passenger seats. Portuondo, McGrath and Torres died at the scene of the crash in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. Nixon died later in hospital.
He also said police had obtained CCTV footage from a hotel where victims were staying. It showed the four getting into the two-seater sports car. He said, according to a witnesses to the crash, the car was travelling at no less than 140kph in a 60kph zone. That was yet to be confirmed by Ferrari.
“This is such an unfortunate incident, and one of the most horrible accidents,” said Mr Bu Farousha. “The car does of course have safety features, but a person must be careful whiling driving, especially powerful sports cars.” Dubai traffic police chief Col Saif Al Mazrouei said an investigation into the cause of the crash was ongoing. McGrath and Torres were on a personal trip and were not studying abroad.
McGrath, 23, received severe shrapnel injuries to her left leg from the first of two bombs placed near the marathon finish line on April 15, 2013. Three people were killed and more than 260 others were injured in the bombing. A photograph of her being carried, bloodied, away from the scene of the explosion was broadcast around the world.
A Northeastern spokesman said McGrath was scheduled to graduate this spring from Northeastern’s school of business. She was from Weston, Connecticut. Northeastern president Joseph E Aoun sent a letter on Monday notifying the university’s community of the students’ death.
“[McGrath] was devoted to helping others through leadership in student organisations and community service work,” Mr Aoun said. Torres, who was also scheduled to graduate this spring, went to Northeastern from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and was passionate about travel and working on issues related to nutrition and women’s health, Mr Aoun said.
At the scene of Boston Marathon bomb in 2013, Bruce Mendelsohn saw McGrath lying on the ground, bleeding heavily from her left leg. He was said to have saved her life on the day of the bombing. Mr Mendelsohn said he tied a scarf he found nearby around her leg as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
He then flagged down a fireman, who carried McGrath away from the scene in what became one of the most widely used photographs from the bombing. McGrath later tracked down her rescuers and formed friendships with them, Mr Mendelsohn said.
“At the time, I was angry that anyone could do such a thing,” Mendelsohn said of the bombing. “Now I’m angry that she’s been taken from us.” JP and Paul Norden, brothers who each lost a leg in the bombings, posted a photo of McGrath on their Facebook page.
“Life can change in an instant … we know this only too well. Those who survived the Boston Marathon bombings of April 15, 2013 all had a special bond … our hearts are heavy tonight after hearing that one of our fellow survivors lost their life in a car accident,” reads a posting under the photo. “A young energetic beautiful soul gone too soon … God bless you Victoria … until we meet again.”w