Grad Student Killed in Crash Remembered
USC PhD student Mikhail Vinaykin was killed in a motorcycle crash Tuesday morning in the 400-block of Exposition Boulevard, just south of USC.
Paramedics pronounced Vinaykin dead at the scene.
Friends and classmates say they are in shock over the death of Vinaykin.
"Everybody feels sad," said Andrey Egorov, a friend of Vinyakin's roommate.
He described the reponse of Vinaykin's roommate as "very upset." "He came to my home to spend the night, he could not stay there essentially.... Nobody expected it," Egorov said.
Dr. Chi Mak of the Chemistry department said students and faculty are mourning Vinyakin's death and what it means for his scholarship.
"He has done a lot of interesting experiments," said Dr. Mak. "It's really something he's quite well known for. The department will feel a great loss with him not being here anymore," said Dr. Mak.
Vinaykin's parents will arrive in Los Angeles Thursday. They will decide in the coming days whether to hold a public memorial service.
Incoming Dornsife Dean Steve A. Kay released the following statement in an email to students Tuesday:
"We grieve for a promising life cut short, and for the parents in Russia who have lost the son they raised, nurtured and sent abroad to make the most of the world's opportunities. Misha was a uniquely talented young scientist, a rising star already recognized by the international scientific community for his research. His colleagues and peers were fortunate to share his contagious enthusiasm for knowledge, and he was loved and respected as a teaching assistant by undergraduate students at USC. We grieve with the Chemistry department, his close friends in the department and around campus, and all whom his life touched."
Very saddening to hear about this, sending all my prayers to his family and friends.