An Iowa State student was killed and four others were injured in a four-car pileup Dec. 25 on a Minnesota highway.

Shobhit Verma, a 22-year-old graduate student in computer science from Meerut, India, died after a westbound 1996 Ford Aerostar van he was a passenger in slid on ice and was sideswiped by an eastbound car, according to a report by the Minnesota State Patrol.

The van was driven by Junail Babar, graduate student in computer science from Madras, India.

The students were returning to a friend’s apartment in St. Paul on U.S. Highway 8 when their vehicle slid on ice about 6:33 p.m. near Taylor Falls, Minn.

The collision involved westbound and eastbound traffic, and nine people were injured.

The accident was attributed to weather conditions and is still under investigation.

Verma was admitted to the Regions Hospital emergency room in St. Paul in critical condition at 10:44 p.m. Dec. 25. He was pronounced dead at 3 p.m. on Dec. 26.

According to information released by the Ramsey County medical examiner, the cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries and anoxic encephalopathy, a brain disorder caused by the accident.

The six other ISU first-year graduate students in the van all sustained minor injuries. They were dispersed to three area hospitals for care and released the following day.

Other passengers in the van included Tushar Shanbhag, graduate student in computer science from Mumbai, India; Siddarth Rao, graduate student in manufacturing systems and engineering from Madras, India; Nileash Lal, graduate student in civil and construction engineering from Maharastra, India; Sunil Adalja, graduate student in materials science and engineering from Bombay, India; and Hariharan Thantry, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering from Trivan Kerala, India.

Associate Dean of Students Houston Dougharty, who was on call that day for the Dean of Students Office, said he was notified within two hours of the accident. The office helps coordinate service for students in emergency and crisis situations.

Rafael Rodriguez, director of Minority Student Affairs; Ruth Ellis, adviser to the students; and Nancy Corbin, assistant director of counseling for the Student Counseling Center, also were on call and worked with Dougharty in coordinating assistance for the students.

“We have been very careful and attentive to stay in touch with them to make sure that they are aware of all the services the university can and has provided to them,” Dougharty said.

The university worked with authorities in Minnesota to get the body transported back to India for funeral services.

“We really had wonderful assistance from friends and relatives of Shobhit’s family; people who assisted in all the details that one has to do when there is a death,” Ellis said. “The prime consideration was the family at home who had lost their son.”

Interim Chairman of the Department of Computer Science Les Miller said the department and the Indian Student’s Association are working together to plan an Ames memorial service for Verma.

The service is tentatively scheduled for Friday, depending on the speakers’ availability.