Tributes have been paid to two “‘kind and talented” NHS nurses who died in a car crash while visiting the Grand Canyon.
Tatiana Brandão, 30, and Raquel Moreira, 28, were said to have been killed instantly when their vehicle collided with a bus at the entrance to the US landmark.
The friends had emigrated from Portugal to work in Southampton general hospital and had had bright careers ahead of them, according to colleagues. Both were said to have spent years saving up and planning for a trip to the US.
Brandão, 30, had joined the trust in the Southampton area seven years ago and was described as a highly respected member of the neurology department.
Moreira, 28, had worked at university hospital Southampton (UHS) trust for the past five years and was from the northern Portuguese city of Arouca. She was described as a valued member of her hospital’s stroke advanced clinical practice team.
The incident was reported to have involved a collision between a Jeep in which they were travelling and a commercial bus on a public road in Arizona, which serves as an approach to the Grand Canyon.
Both of the women were declared dead at the scene, while Brandão’s mother-in-law and partner were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
A report by a local newspaper in the Grand Canyon area said the collision occurred at about 8am last Friday and that no one on the bus had been injured.
A video montage posted on social media by Moreira two days before the crash shows the friends smiling and laughing as they travelled across California, visiting Hollywood and Universal Studios.
“I hope Southampton has caught your heart as much as mine,” said Moreira in another post on her social media, in which she shared her experiences of travelling and working for the NHS, including during some of the most challenging months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The entire nursing family at UHS had been left shocked, said Gail Byrne, the chief nursing officer at the trust.
“Both had chosen to move from Portugal to join UHS and had bright careers ahead of them. The friends were well-known for their kindness, empathy and enthusiasm,” she added. “Both were passionate about nursing and providing the very best care for our patients. Outside of work they shared a love for new experiences, adventure and living life to the fullest.”
