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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

WSU grad student killed in crash near Colfax

Sanchita Haldar, a WSU graduate student, died on Monday following a collision on Highway 26. (Washington State University)
A 34-year-old graduate student at Washington State University died Monday evening after her car collided with another vehicle on Highway 26 at Penawawa Road southwest of Colfax. Sanchita Haldar, who was driving a 2011 Toyota Prius, died at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center following the accident just before 6 p.m. Washington State Patrol troopers said she was headed east on state Highway 26 when she collided in the westbound lane with a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero driven by Jennifer D. Baker, 21, of La Crosse. Baker was taken to Sacred Heart by helicopter. Both drivers were wearing seat belts. The cause of the accident remained under investigation. Haldar was a graduate student in the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resources at Washington State University. Her biography shows that she was studying post harvest physiology and the genomics of sweet cherries. She had earned her bachelor’s degree in agriculture at Banaras Hindu University and held a master’s degree in biotechnology from Maharaja Sayajirao University in India.