There has been an outburst of sorrow from staff, students and faculty at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), days after the accidental death of Arshad Mohammed, a Hyderabad dentist, in Chicago, where the 32-year-old was pursuing his orthodontics residency, late on Thursday night.

Arshad was killed when a Volkswagen being driven by one Robert Velazco rammed his Honda. Velazco was also killed in the accident.

Following the fatal car crash, sympathies also poured in from faculty members of orthodontics programmes across the US. "Within a very short time, Arshad made a positive impression on everyone and was a role model. It is a big loss for all. He would have gone on to become an excellent clinician and deliver the highest quality of care to all," said the department head of orthodontics at University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr Veerasathpurush Allareddy, as he reacted to Mohammed's death.

"He always got the best out of people around him. I am better than what I was after meeting Arshad. It is unfortunate and tragic that such a talented individual was taken away from us," Allareddy added as he spoke on a personal level about Mohammed.

"As a former classmate of Arshad, I have many good memories of him. I am going to hold on to them as his sudden passing has caused great sadness," said Dr Betti Shahin, a colleague of Arshad. Condolences also came in from other universities. "It is always hard when someone young and full of promise is taken away suddenly," wrote Steven J Lindauer, chairperson, Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University.