Friends pay tribute to tragic Russian student, 18, killed by taxi on Westminster Bridge

 
Died in crash: Russian student Maria Nekrasova
Ben Morgan22 May 2014

Tributes were today paid to a teenage Russian student “with a bright future ahead of her” who was killed by a black cab on Westminster Bridge.

Maria Nekrasova, 18, was hit by the taxi as it crossed the river towards the South Bank at just before 2am on Sunday May 4.

She suffered severe brain injuries and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, but died later that day.

The Russian national moved to the UK from Moscow last September to start a three-year undergraduate degree in Cultural and Creative Industries at London City University.

The course is aimed at students who want to secure a career in the arts, event management, museums or the media.

It is the only one of its kind at undergraduate level in the country and attracts students from all over the world.

Miss Nekravosa was living in Pimlico while studying at the university.

Tragic death: Maria Nekrasova, 18, was hit by a black taxi on Westminster Bridge Picture Google Street View

She also gave up her time as a volunteer as part of the university’s City Volunteering programme, where Miss Nekravosa posted photographs on Twitter of her painting walls as part of the scheme.

Miss Nekrasova was described as a “popular” and “energetic student” who revelled in living in London.

A student, who did not want to be named, said friends were still shocked by her tragic death.

She added: “Maria loved living in London and was enjoying her studies. She worked hard but was really energetic and wanted to make the most of her time here.”

In the aftermath of her death, friends took to Twitter to pay tributes.

One friend said: “Heavens gained a beautiful angel today. It’s times like these we realise that we should appreciate every minute we have on this earth.”

Another said: “The saying ‘Life is too short’ is the biggest cliche yet sadly it couldn’t be more true. Such a shame when bad things happen to good people.”

Professor Andrew Jones, dean of the university’s school of arts and social sciences, wrote to students to inform them of Miss Nekravosa’s death.

He said: “It is with great sadness that I write this email to you.

“We have recently learnt that Maria Nekrasova, a first year student on the BA Cultural and Creative Industries, was killed in a road traffic accident.

“Maria was a very able student with a promising future, aged just 18. Her death is both tragic and untimely and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this very difficult time.”

The university today said it was offering counselling to students and staff in the wake of Miss Nekrasova’s death.

In a statement it said: “Our thoughts are with Maria’s family, friends and fellow students at this difficult time. The University is working to provide support for students and staff”.

The driver of the cab stopped at the scene immediately after the collision and was not arrested. An investigation is being led by the Serious Collision Investigation Unit.

An inquest was opened and adjourned at Southwark Coroner’s Court and will be reopened at a later date.

The Coroner accepted that Miss Nekrasova died as a result of severe injuries to her brain steam as a result of the collision with the black cab and did not order a post mortem.

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