Tragedy struck Sunday morning in Hillsborough County, Florida when a driver driving on the wrong side of the road collided with an oncoming vehicle, killing four University of South Florida fraternity brothers.
“Mere words cannot convey the depth of shock and sadness this terrible event brings to all who knew and cherished these wonderful young men. Our hearts are heavy at the loss of such bright, energetic and optimistic young people who had promising futures ahead of them; to have their lives cut tragically short betrays our sense of fairness and security.” – USF president Judy Genshaft as published by the Tampa Bay Times
100 people gathered on the shoulder of Interstate 275 just before sunset Sunday grieving the loss of the fraternity brothers after a wrong-way driver plowed into their vehicle shortly after 2a.m. Sunday morning.
Among the people were friends, family and fellow USF students. The brothers were members of Sigma Beta Rho, a fraternity dedicated to cultural awareness. After Sunday’s crash, the fraternity lost a fifth of its brotherhood.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Jobin Joy Kuriakose 21, of Orlando; Ankeet Harshad Pateel, 22; Dammie Yesudhas, 21, of Melbourne; and Imtiyaz Ilias, 20, of Fort Myers were in the Hyundai Sonata when a White Ford Expedition plowed into them. Kuriakose was the driver.
The driver of the Expedition has not yet been identified as investigators determine where the driver entered 275 and if drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.