Former BUHS goalie Darek Harvey, 20, dies in crash

A former Brattleboro Union High School student‑athlete died in a single‑vehicle crash early Friday, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.

The Greenfield Recorder reported that Melissa Sippel, a spokesperson for the DA’s office, confirmed Monday that Darek Harvey, 20, was the only person in the vehicle when it crashed at about 4:45 a.m. The car struck a tree on Burrington Road and caught fire shortly afterward, Sippel said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

A GoFundMe created to help the family with funeral costs had raised just under $7,000 of its $9,000 goal as of Monday.

Harvey’s mother, Heidi Hier, posted publicly on Facebook about the loss of her only son, writing that “these past few days have been the hardest of my entire life” and that her “heart is broken into a million pieces.” She said she had him young and that they “grew up together,” calling him her best friend.

Mourners have begun marking the site of the crash. The Recorder noted that two hockey sticks were arranged as a cross where the collision is believed to have occurred.

Harvey was a longtime ice hockey goaltender who played for Brattleboro’s varsity team. In a February 2022 game, a spectator called one of his last‑minute saves “incredible” as Brattleboro held on for a 3–2 win over Middlebury.

Authorities did not release additional details about the crash investigation on Monday.