A New Hampshire firefighter who pulled a dying woman from a horrific car crash on Christmas Eve didn't realize the mangled body belonged to his daughter.

Katie Hamilton, 30, died Tuesday after the SUV she was in was struck from behind by another vehicle and pushed into oncoming traffic, where she was broadsided, the Union Leader reported.

None of the other drivers were seriously hurt.

Her father, a volunteer firefighter in the town of Brookline, was one of the first rescue workers to arrive and extracted the woman's body from the crushed car.

Police Chief William Quigley told the newspaper the man didn't recognize her at the time.

Quigley didn't identify the firefighter by name but told CNN just about everyone in the town of about 4,000 knows the man and holds him and his daughter in high regard.