Updated: Nov. 8, 2023, at 2:53 p.m.

Nijad Huseynov, an Azerbaijani graduate student at GW and ADA University in Azerbaijan, died Oct. 21 from injuries sustained in a bicycle collision. He was 24.

Huseynov, who was studying computer science and data analytics through a dual degree program at GW and ADA University, died late last month following four days in the hospital after the driver of a car struck him while he was cycling through the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and L Street. Friends and faculty remember Huseynov as a diligent, selfless student who wanted the best for his friends.

Elshan Naghizade, a student in the dual degree program between GW and ADA University, said he was roommates with Huseynov after they moved to the United States in July and took online computer science and analytics courses through GW starting in fall 2022.

“He was so happy,” Naghizade said. “He loves America. And he was trying to learn as much as possible here, just sort of bring all that value back home.”

Naghizade said Huseynov was a “meticulously diligent” person who wanted to work for Amazon or Google and excelled in programming, winning more than a dozen awards from programming competitions during his undergraduate years in Azerbaijan. Huseynov, whom he called selfless, always pushed him to study more and not procrastinate, he said.

“He was shy, but once you get to know him, you see that heart of gold,” Naghizade said.

Naghizade said he and friends were riding bikes with Huseynov the night he was killed. He said Huseynov rode about 20 minutes ahead of them on an electric bike and that they didn’t think it was him when they passed the accident scene, only discovering it was him later that night when he did not return home. They visited him in an intensive care unit after calling local hospitals.

“We found him in the ICU,” Naghizade said. “It turns out it was him.”

He said Huseynov was diligent and managed to get into Baku Engineering University as an undergraduate — a top university in the country — and graduated at the top of his class. Naghizade said Huseynov was from a small, remote village in western Azerbaijan and always tried to provide for his family.

“Now that he’s gone, we’re reminded of him,” Naghizade said. “Every single moment, whenever we’re in class, outside or talking to each other. We’re reminded of those fond memories we have.”

Ali Asgarov, another student in the dual degree program, said Huseynov was a role model who did his best in school and wanted the best for his friends. He said the memories he made with Huseynov in the last three to four months in the District will be with him for the rest of his life.

“He proved that the quality of friendship is not measured with time,” Asgarov said.

Asgarov said Huseynov didn’t like wasting time and was constantly preparing himself for the computer science industry, reading academic papers and always thinking about related topics.

“All the time he was doing something which can be helpful for him while working in the industry in the future,” Asgarov said.

Asgarov said he loved playing soccer with Huseynov after long days in class and that the two explored D.C. together. He said he went on a trip with Huseynov to the West Coast, and Huseynov drove him and his friends to locations including Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He said they were planning a trip to New York and Boston for Thanksgiving break.

“He was a really good friend,” Asgarov said. “Time to time, I think about why, in this world, we have this kind of person.”

Amrinder Arora, an associate professor of computer science, said he taught Huseynov over Zoom last spring and noticed he regularly turned on his camera, which not all students did. He said Huseynov was a good student who earned a high grade in the course.

Arora, who directed the ADA University dual degree program between 2021 and 2022, said the two-year program gives students master’s degrees from ADA University and GW. He said Huseynov, like other students, asked about paths forward in the artificial intelligence field, with many students expressing interest in large firms like OpenAI and Google.

“When I heard the news, it was obviously shocking that somebody with so much promise, and that accident had occurred,” Arora said.

Steve Kaisler, an adjunct professor of engineering at GW, said Huseynov took his Guided Research Methods course last summer and proposed a project on direct storage of small objects, which led him and Huseynov to have several discussions about redefining the proposal and providing rationale behind its salience and value.

“I was skeptical at first,” Kaisler said in an email. “But, Nijad did substantial research to show why it was important and found very good references that show how it might improve data storage for a program. We discussed it further and I approved his project.”

Kaisler said Huseynov’s final presentation for the course was “well-organized” and included a small demonstration of the central problem and how to solve it.

“Nijad showed great promise for doing research, and I encouraged him to continue this effort for his master’s thesis,” Kaisler said. “I was very sorry to hear about his accident and eventual passing, because of the loss of a very promising student.”

More than 20 attendees gathered Wednesday at the intersection of L Street and Connecticut Avenue to install a ghost bike memorial for Huseynov. DC Families for Safe Streets, a volunteer organization advocating for safer modes of transportation and supporting the families of crash victims, organized the installation.

Attendees formed a line with their bikes in the crosswalks on eastbound L Street and southbound Connecticut Avenue, blocking traffic for four minutes to chain the white-painted bike to the median of Connecticut Avenue. Group members held signs that explained they blocked the streets for one minute for each day Huseynov was in the hospital.

A delivery driver exited his vehicle and began tugging on one group member’s bike, telling them to clear the road amidst a cacophony of horns. The cyclists, mostly silent, continued to block the road.

Sam Nubile, a sophomore studying criminal justice, brought white flowers for the memorial, securing them to the ghost bike’s frame with a Velcro tie. He said Huseynov was a friend of a friend.

Nubile said he has been hit while cycling twice in the District, once in 2021 and again two months ago.

“It’s not safe passage here,” Nubile said. “I cycle every day, it easily could have been me.”

Forty-two people in the District have died this year in traffic accidents, a 62 percent rise compared to last year, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. Huseynov is the second person this year to have been killed while biking.

“We shouldn’t be here today,” Christy Kwan, who organized the service, said in a speech before the installation. “And the greeting has now become ‘Sh*tty to see you.’”

Kwan’s cousin died in a bike crash 22 years ago in Los Angeles, which spurred her to become involved with DC Families for Safe Streets. Her cousin died at 24, the same age as Huseynov.

Kwan said ghost bikes serve as a reminder to the community for whom they’ve lost and as a call to improve street safety. She said the left turn lane shares a “very narrow portion of the street” with the bike lane in the intersection, and cars tend to drift into the bike lane while turning.

“There’s always been concerns that L Street and M Street as designed aren’t the safest,” Kwan said.