Seth Eichenthal, son of former city finance director David Eichenthal and Bea Lurie, has been killed after being struck by a car in Austria.
The incident happened on New Year's.
Officials of Advantage Funeral Home on McCallie Avenue said they would be handling the services.
They said it had been difficult getting information about the incident and getting the body shipped back to the United States.
Family friends said the 23-year-old had been vacationing at Mayrhofen, a skiing resort in the Zillertal of Tyrol, Austria. It is located approximately an hour from the Tyrolean capital city of Innsbruck.
David Eichenthal issued this statement: "Seth Lurie Eichenthal died in a tragic accident while on vacation in Austria. He was 23 years old. Seth was killed almost instantaneously after being struck by a car while walking alongside a road in the Innsbruck region of Austria in the early morning of January 1.
"Seth moved to Chattanooga from Brooklyn, New York with his family in 2002. He graduated from Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts (CSLA) and from Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences (CSAS) in 2008.
"He graduated from the University of Virginia in 2012, and in late 2013 he received a Master’s degree in General Structural Engineering from Imperial College of London. In September, he began work at his first full-time job with Ferrovial Agroman, based in Austin, Texas and Madrid, Spain. Previously, he interned with S&ME during the construction of the Volkswagen Chattanooga site.
"The family is working with the State Department and the office of Senator Bob Corker to arrange for the transport of Seth’s body back to Chattanooga for burial. As soon as those plans are finalized, details on services will be announced. Rabbi Susan Tendler of B’nai Zion Congregation and Rabbi Shaul Perlstein of Chabad Chattanooga are working with the family, as well.
Seth is survived by his father David Eichenthal, former Chattanooga City Finance Officer under then-Mayor Bob Corker and former President of the Ochs Center; Bea Lurie, President and CEO of Girls Inc.; and his sister, Emily Lurie Eichenthal, who graduated from CSAS in 2013 and is currently attending Occidental College.
"In his short time on earth, Seth had a tremendous impact on our lives and the lives of his friends and family. We all are mourning his untimely death and know that his life was for a blessing."
One article said it was on Highway 169 at the exit for Zell Am Ziller.
An account in a German newspaper had a dateline of Rohrberg and said the incident happened on Highway 169. It says the victim was a pedestrian who went suddenly into the roadway in the early hours of New Year's day. He was struck by a car driven by a 59-year-old man on his way to work in the stables. It says the driver tried to avoid the pedestrian and he and his vehicle wound up in a ditch. It says there was no evidence that the driver was drinking.
The time was about 6 a.m. local time and about midnight Chattanooga time, it was stated.
The article says the victim had been spending time on a skiing vacation with Irish students.
It says a driver's license from Tennessee was found in his jacket.
Another article said the victim ran suddenly from the right side of the road and that the driver veered sharply to the left while trying not to hit him. It said it happened on the Zillertal Road (B169).
Seth Eichenthal was a structural civil engineer who spoke several languages.
A friend said, "Seth's unexpected death will create a significant void in the creation of solutions to improve life on a global basis."
David Eichenthal later headed the Ochs Center and now heads the local office of the Public Financial Management (PFM) consulting group.
Ms. Lurie is the president of Girls, Inc.
The Eichenthals also have a daughter.
This is a link to the German article:
http://www.tt.com/panorama/unfall/7675381-91/junger-us-student-im-zillertal-von-auto-erfasst-und-get%C3%B6tet.csp