Victoria McGrath, Boston Marathon Survivor, Dies In Overseas Car Crash At 23

Victoria McGrath, who was waiting by the finish line when two bombs detonated during the Boston marathon has died in a car crash in Dubai.

BOSTON MARATHON SURVIVOR DIES IN DUBAI

The college student and a classmate were killed in a deadly accident. McGrath confirmed her daughter’s passing as did her Northeastern University in Boston.

“We are stunned, shocked and heartbroken,” Jill McGrath wrote in an email to NBC News.

In a statement from the university, Northeastern shared that the two were supposed to graduate this year. They also sent their condolences to both families. “Victoria and Priscilla were vibrant, beloved members of our community, and their passing leaves a grievous absence in our community and in our hearts,” the university said. “Each were kind, talented young women, with exceptional futures before them.”

The 23-year-old McGarth became an icon when a photo of her being carried by a Boston firefighter to safety went viral. The then 20-year-old McGrath was standing five feet away from where the first bomb exploded on April 15, 2013. An inch-long piece of shrapnel had pierced one of her legs.

The firefighter in the photo, Jimmy Ploudre, released a statement after learning of her death: “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.”