Graduate student dies in accident
n Amherst man faces vehicular homicide charges
in connection with a one-car accident that claimed the life of graduate
student Jennifer Lee on July 27.
According to police,
Lee, 30, of Amherst, was riding in the convertible Triumph Spitfire
driven by Daniel Krause, 57, when the westbound car overturned on
Eastman Lane at about 5:14 p.m. Lee, who was wearing a seat belt,
was pinned under the wreck, sustaining head and chest injuries.
She was pronounced dead at Cooley Dickinson Hospital at about 6:30
p.m., around an hour after the accident.
Krause, who escaped
injury, pleaded innocent July 29 in Northampton District Court to
charges of motor vehicular homicide by negligent operation while
under the influence of alcohol. Court records indicated that Krause
failed three of four breathalyzer tests at the scene as his blood
alcohol level registered as high as 0.19. The legal limit is 0.08.
Krause was released
on personal recognizance and his case was continued to Aug. 22.
A native of Lowell,
Lee was well known on campus as an active student, amateur athlete
and advocate on issues affecting Asian-Americans.
After earning her bachelor's
degree in Psychology in 1994, Lee remained in the Amherst area,
going on to complete a master's degree in Business Administration
in 1998. This fall, she was slated to begin work on a doctorate
in Educational Policy, Research, and Administration through the
School of Education.
She worked for several
years at the Textbook Annex, where she was textbook manager from
2000 to 2001. More recently, Lee worked in the Records and Gift
Processing unit of the Development Office. From 1992 to 1999, Lee
was an academic peer counselor with the Committee for the Collegiate
Education of Black and other Minority Students (CCEBMS). She also
served on the Chancellor's Task Force on Alcohol Abuse Prevention
and was a resident assistant.
Lee leaves her parents,
Keng-Jen and Judith (Mei) Lee of Lowell; a sister, her maternal
grandmother and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Memorial gifts may be
made to the University of Massachusetts, c/o Development Office,
134 Hicks Way or the Chuang Yean Monastery, 2020 Route 301, Carmel
NY 10512.
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