Young survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing attacks Victoria McGrath, was killed in a car crash in Dubai, just months before she was set to graduate from college, alongside her friend and roommate.
Victoria McGrath, 23, along with her roommate, Priscilla Perez Torres, who was also 23, were killed after Canadian boxer, Cody Nixon, 24, ‘recklessly drove at high speed’.
McGrath and Torres were set to graduate from Northeastern University in May.
‘Northeastern University has confirmed that two undergraduate students have been tragically killed in a car accident overseas,’ the university said in a statement.
‘Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Victoria McGrath and Priscilla Perez Torres in this extremely difficult time.’
The news was especially devastating for the firefighter who rescued her, James Plourde.
‘It’s been said that I helped to save her life, but the truth is Victoria saved my life after the Marathon as her love, support, and friendship helped myself and my family deal with the acts of 4/15/13,’ Plourde said in a statement, according to the Boston Globe.
Standing five feet from the first bomb when it went off, according to NECN.com, McGrath suffered a serious leg injury and was treated immediately by Tyler Dodd, a former U.S. Army officer who used a T-shirt as a tourniquet. Boston firefighter James Plourde carried her to a medical tent. McGrath was from Weston, Conn. She was 23. Torres is from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. They were both members of the class of 2016.
Joseph D. Aoun, Northeastern’s president, wrote in an email (via the Boston Globe) to the school community that was “devoted to helping others through leadership in student organizations and community service work.” He recalled that Perez Torres was passionate about travel and women’s health issues.
Each were kind, talented young women, with exceptional futures before them,” Aoun said in the letter. “Their passing leaves a grievous absence in our community and in our hearts.”
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. Mr 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
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 while driving, especially powerful sports cars.”
Be the first to comment on "Boston marathon bombing survivor was killed in Dubai Ferrari crash alongside college roommate"