It was an especially sad Christmas for responders and residents in one New Hampshire town.
On Christmas Eve, a Brookline firefighter extricated the body of a young woman from a wrecked vehicle directly in front of the safety complex. He didn't his daughter.
"Her father was the one who pulled her out of the car without knowing it was her," Police Chief William Quigley told reporters, according to The Union Leader.
Katie Hamilton, 30, was pronounced dead on the scene.
Officials said almost everyone in the town of 4,000 knew and held both Hamilton and Firefighter Steve Whitcomb in high regard.
"I know that she is a young mother," the police chief said. "It's a sad, sad day for all of us, not just because it's Christmas Eve."
Hamilton's car was rear-ended, and the impact sent it across the center line where it was hit by a truck.
The drivers of the other vehicles were not hurt. Police think the driver of the car that rear-ended Hamilton may have been distracted, the chief said.
The probe continues.
