It is never easy when a dear brother, friend, and fellow classmate disappear from existence. The harsh reality is we all vanish from this earth at some point, but when one has only lived a quarter of their life that’s when the news hits harder.
My heart is at a loss for words…
USFSP Student Body President, Mark Lombardi, posted on his Facebook February 9th 2014. Some had not heard the news yet which made people confused at his post, but a video was posted on the comments which gave clarity to the comment.
This video was heart wrenching to watch as a car sped down the wrong side of Busch Boulevard exit of I-275 for a good couple of minutes until colliding into another car. Unfortunately, the impact created was far too much to leave any of the victims alive.
Four young students who attended USF Tampa were in the car that was hit. Jobin Joy Kuriakose, 21, was the driver of the second car. His passengers were Ankeet Harshad Patel, 22, Imtiyaz Ilias, 20, and Dammie Yesudhas, 21. They were all fraternity brothers of Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity, Inc.
One of the passengers, Imtiyaz Ilias, who went by the name of Jim Ilias was a former student at USFSP. It was a devastating loss for this community as many here knew Ilias.
One student at USFSP, Jordan Iluliucci, commented on Facebook about Ilias’ passing…
Jim, I read it and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I received numerous Snaps from you yesterday and now you’re gone. You were a little brother to me. We were making plans to see one another and now I will never see your smile again. Rest In Peace.
And Mark Lombardi commented, “He was a great guy. He really lit up people’s lives.”
As the University Of South Florida St. Petersburg mourns the loss of a former student, the Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity, Inc. also mourns. The morning of the accident cars lined up on the side of the road where the accident occurred. One reporter commented that it was so packed it looked like a full parking lot. All the brothers of the fraternity showed up to show support and place a reef on the accident scene.
One alumni advisor for the fraternity, Jigar Patel, is interviewed by Fox commenting how he knew all four students saying they were “life of the party guys”. He says it’s a big loss for the fraternity because all of these guys were very outgoing and happy.
There is now a fund raiser going on to raise money for the funeral costs for the families of the men that were lost. The goal was to raise 40,000 dollars, but they far succeeded this goal when they now have over 70,000 dollars.
Though these students lost their lives, they will be alive in the memories of so many.
To donate you can visit… http://www.gofundme.com/6rm8hs.