Four, all fraternity brothers, killed by intoxicated driver in Tampa.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Four Indian-American college students and fraternity brothers are dead after an intoxicated driver in Florida struck their vehicle in the early morning hours of Sunday.
Jobin Joy Kuriakose, 21, Ankeet Harshad Patel, 22, Imtiyaz “Jim” Ilias, 20, and Dammie Yesudhas, 21 were all killed around 2:00 AM Sunday morning when a Ford Expedition SUV crossed over the divider on Insterstate 275 in Tampa, Florida and began driving into oncoming traffic. The boys, who were all brothers of the Sigma Beta Rho fraternity at the University of Southern Florida, were in a Hyundai Sonata sedan when the SUV collided with their car, killing all four young men and the driver of the SUV, who was alone in his vehicle.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether or not the driver of the SUV was intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, and have not yet been able to identify the driver because his body is too charred up from the fire that ensued as a result of the head-on collision. The driver of the Sonata was determined to be Kuriakose by Florida Highway Patrol.
Condolences from Sig Rho chapters across the nation have poured in. “RIP to four of our brothers from Mu Chapter at USF in Tampa. May you rest in peace and remain in remembrance. Please pray for the families,” Sigma Beta Rho tweeted from its official Twitter account on Sunday.
The fraternity is also planning a memorial service at the USF campus later in the week, while the University staff has told students that counseling is available for those grieving the loss of their four classmates.
Sig Rho is known as the largest Indian-dominant fraternity and sorority in the US, with chapters in nearly all major universities in the US, particularly those with large desi populations. It was founded in 1996 at the University of Pennsylvania and is headquartered in New York City, where it bears the slogan “Brotherhood beyond all barriers.” The USF chapter was founded in 2001, and now has “83 brothers from over 23 nations.”
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com