Firefighter arrives at fatal crash, finds daughter is victim

A New Hampshire volunteer firefighter arrived at the scene of a car crash Christmas Eve, only to make a heartbreaking discovery.

One of the first rescue workers on the scene of a three-car pileup, Steve Whitcomb pulled a dying woman from an SUV. He later discovered she was his own daughter. (Via WBZ-TV)

The town’s police chief told the Union Leader, Whitcomb didn’t recognize her at first: “Her father was the one who pulled her out of the car without knowing it was her.”

Tragic: Steve Whitcomb, right, pulled his daughter Katie Hamilton, left, from her car - before he even realized that it was her

According to police, 30-year-old Katie Hamilton was attempting to make a left tu when a car struck her from the rear, knocking her into the other lane where she hit a pick-up truck head on. (Via WMUR)

The drivers of the other two vehicles were uninjured. Police say alcohol was not a factor in the crash and have ruled out speeding.

Tragic: Katie Hamilton, the 30-year-old daughter of a local firefighter, was killed when he SUV was rear-ended and then pushed into oncoming traffic and hit head-on Tuesday

According to the Nashua Telegraph, Whitcomb and his daughter worked together in the plumbing business. He told the paper: “You grieve and then you try to put it all back together.”

Hamilton leaves behind a husband and three children.

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