“I don’t think you can describe people with one word,” Baseer Maroof, a sophomore in biological sciences, said while thinking of two friends, Firas and Fuad Shaikh. “Firas was extremely kind-hearted and sincere.”
At about midnight on July 4, brothers Firas and Fuad were riding in their Lexus sedan. Fuad, the driver, tried to turn onto Lake Wheeler Road off Penny Road, but the car skidded. It hit a tree, rolled down an embankment and landed upside-down in a creek, according to a police report. Fuad was speeding.
Firas, 17, was pronounced dead at the scene, and Fuad, 19, was transported to WakeMed where he was released Tuesday. Fuad is a sophomore in biological sciences.
Maroof met the Shaikh brothers about eight years ago, and said he has numerous memories from middle school of them playing competitive sports and spending time together.
“When something that is so tragic and shocking like this happens, you begin to replay the last encounter you had with whoever was hurt,” Maroof said. “You hear the news that your friend got in an accident, and his brother is dead, and you start replaying the last time you gave him a hug in your head, and you cherish that moment because you realize it was your last.”
Kevin Ghiold, a freshman in bachelor of social work, said he met Firas four years ago when he moved to North Carolina.
“Firas was always smiling. I never saw him in a bad mood,” Ghiold said. “Fuad and I used to be in the same English class, and I remember just sitting in the back of the class with him and cracking jokes.”
According to Kevin Ghiold, a freshman in social work, Firas’ death has dealt a tragic blow to the Muslim community in and around Raleigh.
“I’m praying for everyone affected by the loss of Firas,” he said. “He was a good guy and hopefully the way he lived his life will have a positive effect on people.”
Maroof and Ghiold aren’t the only students feeling a friend’s loss this summer.
On June 7, George Parrish, a junior in business management, was killed in a car accident near Edenton, N.C. His car flipped into a water-filled ditch after he lost control of his 2002 Volvo. An N.C. Highway Patrol report stated Parrish, 20, was traveling 70 mph in a 55-mph zone.
According to an investigation published by the News & Observer on May 13, speed-related incidents kill about 10 people a week in N.C., and almost half of the drivers charged with speeding last year were under 30.
“Speeding on campus is a very significant problem for us due to our low speed limits,” Sgt. Jon Barnwell with Campus Police said. “In 2006, we wrote 238 citations for speeding, the majority of those being on Dan Allen Drive and Sullivan.”
The three-way stops installed on Sullivan Drive have reduced speeders, Barnwell said, adding that changing the environment in that way encourages people to drive the speed limit. When Campus Police receive complaints about speeding on certain parts of campus, the department conducts a data analysis to determine if changes need to be made.
