Heidi Hachtel '96, a 22-year-old student at the Thayer School of Engineering, and her father were killed December 20 when their car was struck in a head-on collision in Washington state.
Hachtel and her father, Stephen Hachtel, 47, died at the scene, according to the Seattle Times. A car traveling in the opposite direction crossed the centerline of a two-lane highway, which was slick from heavy rain.
The accident occurred on Highway 2 outside Skykomish, which leads to the Stevens Pass Ski Area, where both Heidi and Stephen Hachtel were certified ski instructors.
Neither of the two passengers in the other car were seriously injured.
Heidi Hachtel was a member of the Dartmouth Formula Racing team, and she was goalkeeper of the women's soccer team as a Dartmouth undergraduate. She accompanied the Formula Racing team to its competition in Detroit, Mich. in May.
Stephen Hachtel worked as a chemical engineer in Seattle and was the father of three daughters.
Holly Thomas '97, Heidi Hachtel's teammate on the soccer team, said she will be remembered for her sense of humor and her generosity.
"I think she had a really great sense of humor," Thomas said. "A lot of people remember her for that."
Heidi Hachtel helped the soccer team last year by serving as impromptu goal-keeping coach when the team was without one, Thomas said.
Former women's soccer coach Steve Swanson, who coached Heidi Hachtel for four years, said, "It was a tribute to her that she fought and played for four years" despite knee troubles, he said.
"I think Heidi had overcome a lot of things in her life. She earned my respect," Swanson said. "It's certainly a loss for Dartmouth and our [soccer] program."
Camille Noel '96 became friends with Heidi Hachtel during their freshman year, and they were roommates during their time at Dartmouth.
"The best way to describe Heidi would be 'caring,'" Noel said.
Noel said Heidi Hachtel was the type of person who would take coffee to students studying all night at the Thayer School, and who would give back rubs to stressed-out friends.
"She did it unthinkingly," Noel said. "She was a very dedicated student."
Chris Dorros '97 met Heidi Hachtel when she was studying engineering as an undergraduate and participated in the Dartmouth Formula Racing team with her.
"If someone needed her help, she'd drop anything she was doing," Dorros said. "You could always ask her for help. She was genuinely a nice person."
"She was very bright, very loving, very caring," Hachtel's grandmother, Lilly Hachtel, said.
"I just can't think of enough nice things to say about her. She had a lovely way about her," she said.
Lilly Hachtel described how her granddaughter called her grandparents every Sunday night to tell them how things were going and to see how they were doing.
Lilly Hachtel said Heidi Hachtel and her father had a very strong bond. "She loved her daddy with a passion," she said.
Heather Roberts, Heidi Hachtel's sister, said, "She was pretty much always smiling -- she had a great sense of humor."
Roberts said it was difficult to describe her as a sister, because "she was such a good friend."
"She loved to be outside," Roberts said. "She loved skiing and soccer. She was getting into mountain climbing." Roberts said Heidi Hachtel had been considering taking up kayaking.
Heidi Hachtel is survived by her mother, Suzette Swensson; two sisters, Heather Roberts and Holly Hachtel and grandparents R.H. Hachtel, Geraldine Nobel and Kenneth Swensson. Her memorial service was held Dec. 26 in Renton, Wash.
