Four friends' tragic excursion to Stillwater

On weekdays Mohanraj Pothiraj put in long hours at his job.

The oldest of three boys, he was a shining example of success for his brothers and cousins back home in India. As a computer program analyst for a global software company, he had traveled thousands of miles to Minneapolis for an assignment with Ameriprise Financial, part of a new trend of workers coming from India under contracts and planning to return to India.

He was only supposed to stay a few months.

But a cold spring, a chance weekend excursion and a driver's innocent mistake tragically cut his American adventure short when he and three friends landed in the St. Croix River and were trapped in their vehicle. He and one of the friends died later of complications from being submerged in the cold water.

As Stillwater police closed their investigation into the accident last week, new details emerged about what happened that brisk Sunday night in April.

"It's one of the saddest cases I've seen in terms of car accidents," Stillwater police investigator Steve Hansen said. "They're hard workers and they get a day off to go sightseeing and this happens."

The four friends, all contract workers from India, left Minneapolis about 8:30 p.m. on April 13 and headed for Stillwater. They wanted to see the city's famous lift bridge and take pictures, police said. Mohanraj, 28, who had a Minnesota driver's license, drove the Hyundai Tucson over the bridge and into Wisconsin.

She made a fatal error just a few minutes later, applying the gas instead of the brake and speeding into the river, police said.

Mohanraj and Rohini died. The survivors -- Deepa Vellusamy, 25, and Kalaiselvi Vijayakumar, 25 -- are now on the mend.

The four come from Tamil Nadu, an urban, industrial state at the southernmost edge of India. In this region, first names are used for identification because a father's first name is typically used as a surname.

Determined to succeed

Friends of Mohanraj say he was very bright and driven to make a better life for himself and his family in India.

Mohan had always wanted to work for Infosys, his friend said. "It has a good name in India. It's basically a brand name," he said. The security and prestige that came from having such a good job made it worthwhile, even if it meant having to say goodbye to loved ones and travel across the globe for a few months or even a few years on assignment.

"Now, people in India are very selective because they can move anywhere and adjust anywhere," Manas said. "That's what differentiates Indians from everybody else. Starting from your childhood, you're made to think that you must do something or you can't survive. So many people in such a large population, if you don't stand out, you can't survive."

Mohan, he said, was very determined to succeed.

He had worked for Infosys for 4 1/2 years, and had been stationed once before in Minneapolis at Ameriprise Financial. He had gone back to India, but accepted another assignment at Ameriprise and had recently returned to Minneapolis.

When Manas learned from a mutual friend of Mohan's death, he was shocked.

The activities of the four young friends and the accident that night had been surrounded with questions as people in Minnesota and India wondered what happened and tried to piece it together.

The results of the investigation revealed this scenario:

Rohini drove the rented sport-utility vehicle north on Upper Levee Road, a back road along the St. Croix River typically not used by anyone but locals. As she approached the Stillwater Marina, she decided to make a U-turn, her friend Deepa later told Stillwater police.

The car went off the gravel road and into the grass, leaving tire marks. As it came back onto the gravel road it accelerated quickly, leaving marks and crashing through the brush and into the river.

Submerged in river water

"Pedal misapplication is a common phenomenon that occurs more frequently in vehicles with which the drivers are not familiar," the accident report said. "One of the occupants told rescue workers that the driver commented that the brake was not working."

The front of the SUV sank faster than the back. The two in the front died.

About 10 p.m. two people from inside the SUV called 911. Their voices were frantic as they pleaded with dispatchers to send someone to rescue them. "We don't know swimming," Mohanraj told a dispatcher. Then later: "I'm going to die in here."

Minutes later, rescuers arrived and saw the car's headlights glowing underwater.

The car was still in drive, Hansen said, and so the doors were automatically locked. But on this particular model, he said, the driver's side still could be opened manually by pulling the handle. With all the other doors, the passengers would have to manually unlock the door first.

The water was between 6 and 7 feet deep where the SUV submerged, covering its roof by 4 to 6 inches, Hansen said.

Hansen said he has spoken with Deepa, who is out of the hospital now. She couldn't be reached to comment. Kalaiselvi was listed in good condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul this week, and through a hospital spokeswoman declined to comment.

Allie Shah • 651-298-1550