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Groom survives head-on crash, marries bride hours later at hospital
What was supposed to be a traditional wedding day turned into an unexpected rally at the hospital after a head-on collision nearly stopped a Central Florida groom from marrying the love of his life.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - What was supposed to be a traditional wedding day turned into an unexpected rally at the hospital.
It followed a head-on collision that nearly stopped a Central Florida groom from marrying the love of his life.
Accident ahead of the altar
The backstory:
Just hours before Kapri DeRamus was scheduled to walk down the aisle, his car was left crumpled on the side of State Road 436 in Altamonte Springs following a serious head-on crash. First responders rushed him to Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) with two broken arms and a laundry list of additional injuries.
Looking at the wreckage, his bride, Tyasia DeRamus, said she considers his survival a miracle.
"I look at the pictures of his car, and I see where he was sitting, and it just looks like God just wrapped His arms around him in that front seat," she said.
Despite the severe injuries, DeRamus remained focused on the big picture. "I'm just so thankful and just very, very fortunate to be alive," he said.
Hospital staff step in to make the day special
Unwilling to let the accident disrupt their plans, the couple decided to move the ceremony to the hospital. The wedding party high-tailed it to ORMC, where hospital staff jumped in to help bring the ceremony to life.
A resourceful nurse searched the hospital to gather flowers from potted plants around the building, wrapping them together with rubber bands to create a bouquet for the bride.
"She went around to all the different pots around the hospital and got some rubber bands and made me a little bouquet," Tyasia said. "It was so special what they did and how intimate they made it for us."
Tyasia said staff played music on their phones as her father walked her down the make-shift aisle. With DeRamus in his hospital bed, his grandfather officiated the ceremony in front of close family.
'Starting off strong'
Though unconventional, the room was filled with emotion as the two exchanged vows alongside the beeping of hospital monitors. Despite severe injuries to his arms and hands, DeRamus made sure his new ring was right where it belonged.
"I still squeeze it on," DeRamus said, laughing. "Throughout all the trauma that I'm dealing with, I want to have this ring on, and it signifies our love that we have for each other. I hate the way that it happened... but at the end of the day, it was signified with holy matrimony and love, not just between us two, but also with our family to join in unity as well."
For Tyasia, exchanging vows under such extreme circumstances brought immediate meaning to their promises.
"We took our vows in sickness and in health, and I guess we're starting off strong, right?" Tyasia said.
Looking ahead to recovery, honeymoon
What's next:
With a renewed outlook on life and a new wedding ring on his finger, DeRamus was discharged from the hospital to begin his recovery process.
Once he completes physical therapy and finishes healing, the newlyweds already have their next big milestone mapped out: a honeymoon in Europe.
The Altamonte Springs Police Department is investigating the crash.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Orlando Health, Kapri and Tyasia DeRamus