Meet Jill and James McGrath
Jill and James McGrath are the grieving parents of 23-year-old deceased college student, Victoria McGrath. It is not the first time the family makes headlines , their daughter who died in a tragic car accident overseas, was a survivor from the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
The Northeastern University student was on her way to Bali for spring break along with roommate Priscilla Torres. They both were riding in a Ferrari driven by, 24-year-old Canadian boxer Cody Nixon, when they hit a lamppost. Along with the three of them was also, 27-year-old James Portuondo –who’s been identified as Nixon’s cousin. The four of them lost their lives in the crash. It is said Nixon, was driving recklessly at high speed.
Previously, Victoria’s name had been in the papers because she was one of the survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombing back in April of 2013.
At the time, Victoria –who was just five feet away from were the bomb went off –suffered injuries to her leg and had to received surgery. A former U.S. Army officer used a t-shirt to tie a tourniquet on her leg, and Boston firefighter, Jimmy Plourde carried her to a medical tent. A photo of her being carried to safety by Plourde became one of the lasting images of the terror attack.
She suffered nerve damage to her left leg and spent weeks recovering at Tufts Medical Center.
The young Victoria, was supposed to graduate this year from the business school, while her friend Priscilla from the college of science.
Priscilla Torres –a native from Guaynabo, Puerto RIco –was “passionate about travel and working on issues related to nutrition and women’s health,” the university said in a statement.
Victoria had interned at Goldman Sachs as a Private Wealth Management Analyst last semester.
Mother, Jill McGrath (pictured below); is originally from Weston, Connecticut. According to her Facebook page, she currently resides in Madrid, Spain. The 54-year-old mother wrote to media in an email: “We are stunned, shocked and heartbroken.”
The McGrath’s are also parents of two other children, sons: Patrick and Andre McGrath.
Local media in Dubai report that two men and two women were killed on Sunday when a Ferrari crashed into a lampost at 12.30am. All three passengers were ejected from the vehicle that was meant to be for only two people.
60-year-old James McGrath has worked for IBM since 2008, according to his LinkedIn. He speaks English and French and attended Trinity College where he earned a degree in Economics. He also has a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Finance, General from Cornell University.
Our condolences to Jill and James McGrath and the rest of Victoria’s family and friends.
