Emily McNamara, 42, the assistant women's hockey coach at Middlebury College in Vermont, died recently after surviving a severe car accident earlier this year. On March 20, during an ice storm, her SUV crashed into a tractor trailer, causing critical injuries including fractures and a traumatic brain injury. Though she was initially recovering, McNamara faced complications including an infection that led to pneumonia, ultimately resulting in her death. Middlebury Athletics mourned the loss of their beloved coach and acknowledged the profound impact she had on students and colleagues alike.
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Story summary
Emily McNamara, the 42-year-old assistant women's hockey coach at Middlebury College in Vermont, died on Friday after surviving a severe car accident last March. On March 20, her SUV collided with a tractor trailer during an ice storm, leaving her critically injured and hospitalized for months. She sustained multiple fractures to her face, clavicle, neck, ribs, pelvis, and a traumatic brain injury. McNamara had been in hospice care since September 2 when her condition suddenly worsened due to an imbalance in nervous system responses, despite initial optimism about recovery from the crash injuries.
Written for “Sports Coach Tragedy” on 2026-09-18,
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A beloved college coach died just months after she survived a terrifying car crash, according to her school.
Emily McNamara, the assistant women's hockey coach at Vermont's Middlebury College, passed away on Friday, Middlebury Athletics announced.
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Athletics → see → Friday
It is unclear how she died, but the school mentioned that she 'suffered serious injuries in a car accident last winter.'
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she → die → accident
McNamara, 42, was left critically injured after her SUV collided with a tractor trailer during an ice storm on March 20, according to a GoFundMe page.
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SUV → leave → page
She suffered several life-threatening injuries from the crash, including fractures to her face, clavicle, neck, ribs and pelvis.
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She → suffer → face
The coach, who went by 'Mac,' also sustained a traumatic brain injury, according to her friends.
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In an update about her health on the platform CaringBridge, McNamara's friend said that she was moved to hospice care on September 2.
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she → say → September
Just days earlier, her husband, David Campbell, shared a lengthy update on his wife's health.
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husband → share → health
Campbell, who coaches men's lacrosse at Middlebury, said that his wife recently started to experience an 'imbalance in nervous system responses' – something that often occurs when brain injuries are healing, he wrote.
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he → coach → responses
Emily McNamara, the assistant women's hockey coach at Vermont's Middlebury College, passed away on Friday, Middlebury Athletics announced
McNamara, 42, was left critically injured after her SUV collided with a tractor trailer during an ice storm on March 20
The condition causes 'heightened levels of agitation,' but is supposed to get better as healing progresses, he added.
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he → pass → agitation
But amid that complication, an infection took over McNamara's body, according to her husband.
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infection → take → husband
The infection in her lungs then triggered increased agitation and pneumonia, the page read.
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page → trigger → agitation
'Without going into detail, trying to get through this devastating combination would be far more than tolerably uncomfortable,' the statement said.
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statement → go → combination
'We accepted that her journey would be difficult knowing how tough she is but these developments immediately crossed the line.
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developments → accept → line
Our nurses knew it and the doctors confirmed it.'
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doctors → know → it
Middlebury Athletics announced McNamara's death in an emotional post shared on Monday.
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'We have been in touch with Emily's family to share our sorrow and our full support during this difficult time.
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We have also spoken with members of our women's hockey team and Athletics staff, who are understandably heartbroken by this news,' the school said.
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school → speak → news
'Emily's husband Dave, all her family, her colleagues, the students on the team, and everyone who knew her are deeply in our hearts.'
Just weeks before her death, her husband, David Campbell, shared a lengthy update on his wife's health.
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husband → know → health
He is also a sports coach at the school
In an emotional post shared on Monday, Middlebury Athletics announced McNamara's death.
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Funeral plans have not yet been announced yet
The post went on to recognize McNamara as a hockey star who played for the same team she coached.
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she → announce → team
During her time at Middlebury, she won three national titles in a row, NBC Boston reported.
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She first served as an assistant coach for the team from 2007 to 2011, before going on to coach the Mid-Fairfield Connecticut Stars, the athletic department said.
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department → serve → Stars
McNamara was also the head coach of the Hamilton College women's hockey team before going back to Middlebury in the summer of 2023.
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McNamara → go → 2023
After learning of her death, Hamilton College said in a post: 'Coach Mac’s legacy lives on in every player she coached and every life she touched along the way.'
Funeral plans have not yet been announced.
The Daily Mail contacted Middlebury Athletics and McNamara's friends for comment.
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Mail → learn → comment
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