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New Year's Swimmer Dies From Injuries


By

Jen Chung

Published Jan 9, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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By

Jen Chung

Published Jan 9, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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2007_01_seneviratne.jpgA 32 year old journalist who suffered a neck injury during this year's Polar Bear Club New Year's swim died last week. It's unclear how Mohan Seneviratne injured himself; some witnesses believe he hit a sandbar when he dove into the water at Coney Island. amNew York spoke to his father Dr. Upali Seneviratne who said that Seneviratne was initially stable after the severe spinal cord injury, but his "condition deteriorated over a few days.

"The information is sketchy. I don't know how it could happen. I don't know how he could sustain such a serious accident. I would like to find out how."

Seneviratne was not a member of the Polar Bear Club, but one of the many people who join the swim on New Year's. Seneviratne had been working for Esquire as an online producer; he had also worked at MSNBC.com and graduated from Brown and Columbia Journalism School. eat drink one woman had an interview with Seneviratne about the food he ate.

Photograph of Mohan Seneviratne by Andrew Sturgill

Tagged

amNew York

club

coney island

food

interview

journalism

new year

new years

News: NYC

people

polar bear

polar bear club


Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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