A wonderful and sensible person who was at the top of her high school class, Katherine “Katie” Almeter was remembered as delightful, talented, and beloved. The 18-year-old female was a first-year student and a budding track star at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. Originally from Norwich, New York, Katie was an exceptional sprinter who set high school records that were still standing years later.
Shortly after arriving at Colgate, she broke the school's 400-meter record in practice. Her father recalled that her family thinks of her in the present tense: "She is a wonderful person. And her memory is still alive with us."
On the weekend of November 11, 2000, Katie's childhood friends from Norwich, Emily Collins and Rachel Nargiso, both 18, came to visit her at Colgate. The three were described as inseparable. Emily and Rachel were first-year students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. On that Saturday, the three friends were together on the Hamilton campus.
In the early morning hours of November 11, on a cold and rainy night, Katie, Emily, and Rachel were walking on campus and flagged down a passing Jeep for a ride up a hill. The driver was Robert Koester, a Colgate junior. Already in the vehicle were Koester's hometown friend, Kevin King, and two other Colgate students, Chris Rea and Elke Wagle. The three young women climbed in. Just after turning onto Oak Drive, Koester lost control of the vehicle, which sped off the road and crashed into a large oak tree only about 150 feet from where he had picked the women up.
Katherine Almeter, Emily Collins, Rachel Nargiso, and Kevin King were all pronounced dead at the scene. The crash happened in less than 30 seconds. Two other passengers, Elke Wagle and Chris Rea, were injured but survived. The driver, Robert Koester, sustained only minor injuries. The New York State Police investigated the crash, and the Madison County District Attorney stated that the incident was alcohol-related.
Investigators found that Koester had been drinking at a fraternity and a downtown bar before getting behind the wheel. His blood alcohol content was found to be.17, more than double the legal limit at the time. He was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and four counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter. Koester was sentenced to one and a third to four years in prison and ultimately served two and a half years. In a 2002 prison interview, he took responsibility for the crash, stating, “I am the person responsible.”
The tragedy sent a shockwave through the Colgate University community and the victims' hometown of Norwich. The university held gatherings and provided counseling for students and staff. Katie Almeter's funeral was held at St. Paul's Church in Norwich, and the bells of the Colgate Chapel tolled in her memory as the campus observed a moment of silence. In the years that followed, the families of the three young women met weekly to support each other through their grief.
The memories of Katie, Emily, and Rachel are kept alive through various memorials and initiatives. A permanent memorial was unveiled in November 2007 at the site of the crash on Oak Drive. A garden named "Katie's Garden" was planted next to West Hall on the Colgate campus. A 100-foot long traveling educational exhibition called "Friends. One Day...One Wrong Turn" was created to show the dangers of drunk driving. It featured personal mementos of the girls, including stuffed animals, track jerseys, artwork, and a timeline of that fateful night, to show the public that such a tragedy could happen to anyone. Emily Collins's sister, Kelly Collins-Colosi, became an advocate for Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), sharing her family's story to prevent similar tragedies. The crash also prompted significant changes at Colgate, including the introduction of a campus cruiser service, emergency blue lights, and stricter penalties for drunk driving.
