Korean-American attorney among victims in Washington D.C. plane-helicopter collision, bringing death toll to four

A Korean American attorney has been confirmed as one of the victims in last week’s midair collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C., raising the number of Korean victims to four.

Sarah Lee Best (Korean name: Kang Sera), 33, an attorney at Wilkinson Stekloff, was returning home from a business trip in Kansas when the accident occurred on Jan.31.

Kang, who had been married for eight years, had postponed her honeymoon due to a demanding work schedule and was planning to take the long-awaited trip in February.

Her parents, Young-Joo Kang, 65, and In-Sook Lee, 65, spoke of their grief in a phone interview. “There are no words to describe our sorrow,” her father said. “Our youngest daughter was selfless and kind. It is heartbreaking that she left us so soon.”

Kang’s husband, Daniel Solomon, a professor of Classics and Mediterranean Studies at Vanderbilt University, said she sent him a final message just before takeoff. “She texted, ‘I love you!’” he said, his voice breaking.

Kang grew up in Clarksville, Tennessee, where she attended high school. Geon-Hong Choi, president of the Clarksville Korean Association and a longtime acquaintance of the family, said the news came as a shock. “Sarah’s mother called me, and I couldn’t believe it when she said Sarah was gone,” he said.

The loss was compounded by another recent tragedy in the family. Kang’s paternal grandmother had passed away, and her parents had been in Los Angeles at the time of the accident. “Hearing the news while they were in L.A. made the shock even worse,” Choi said.

The youngest of three siblings, Kang was described by family members as a dedicated and gifted student. She graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University with degrees in neuroscience and classics before earning a law degree with top honors from the University of Pennsylvania. She clerked for both federal appellate and district courts before building her legal career in Washington, D.C.

The Clarksville Korean Association has issued a statement expressing condolences, while the Korean American Federation of the United States and the Korean Consulate General in Atlanta, which oversees the Southeastern U.S., are discussing ways to assist the family.

“The Korean community is mourning together, and we are working to ensure that the family receives the support they need, including help with funeral arrangements,” Choi said.

The collision killed 67 people in total, including three other Korean victims: Jinna Han, 13, a figure skater with the Boston Skating Club; her mother, Jin Han; and Spencer Lane, 16, a Korean adoptee.

BY YOONJAE JUNG [jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]