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A much beloved and soft-spoken Bard graduate was hit and killed on a Hudson Valley sidewalk hours after commencement.
The incident occurred in Dutchess County around 10:30 p.m., Saturday, May 25, on North Broadway (Route 9) in Red Hook.
According to Capt. John Watterson of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, Linh Hong Nguyen, age 25, of Red Hook, was killed when a 2017 Ford Fusion traveling southbound on Broadway left the roadway and struck Nguyen on the sidewalk.
Nguyen was pronounced dead at the scene, and the vehicle operator was uninjured. Watterson said the driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
The primary factor in the crash appears to be unsafe speed, and at this time, no charges have been filed. However, Watterson added that the investigation is continuing by the Sheriff’s Office’s Detective Bureau and Crash Investigation Unit.
"Linh was a very talented pianist who received a Master of Music in Instrumental Studies at Commencement on Saturday," said Leon Botstein, president of Bard.
According to Botstein, Nguyen grew up in Hanoi, Vietnam, and came to Bard for graduate school after completing a bachelor of music from the Vietnam National Academy of Music.
While studying in the Conservatory at Bard, she was a member of Terrence Wilson's studio. Linh was excited to begin her doctoral degree studies at Stony Brook University this coming fall in the studio of Christina Dahl, he added.
Frank Corliss, director of the Bard College Conservatory, observed how “gentle and soft-spoken Linh was.
"Those qualities belied the power and virtuosity of her piano playing. She was a young musician of deep personal ambition—in the best sense of the word, Corliss said. "She held herself to the highest of musical standards in even the most challenging of repertoire.
"She was deeply curious about the greater musical world and about her future place in that world. Her thoughtfulness, kindness and eagerness to learn, endeared her to the faculty, fellow students and administrators who worked with her."
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Dutchess County Medical Examiner and the Village of Red Hook Police.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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