A groom’s wedding day turned into an unimaginable tragedy when he was killed in a car crash while traveling to the church where his bride, family and friends were waiting for him.
Jordan Kinard, 34, was heading to his religious wedding ceremony in Libramont, Belgium, on Saturday, Sept. 12, when the car carrying him suddenly veered off the road and crashed into a wooded area.
Behind the wheel was Kinard’s best man — who was also the brother of his bride, Pauline Nollevaux.
The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. on a road between the villages of Ochamps and Recogne.
Kinard was killed, while his best man survived with injuries and was rushed to a hospital.
Even more heartbreaking, loved ones were already gathered at the church waiting for the groom to arrive when the deadly crash occurred.
Authorities said no other vehicles were involved. Police are now investigating what caused the car to leave the roadway.
Kinard and Nollevaux were already legally married, having tied the knot in a civil ceremony just over a month earlier. Saturday’s ceremony was supposed to be their religious wedding celebration surrounded by loved ones.
“It should have been their most beautiful day,” Libin Mayor Anne Laffut said after the crash.
Laffut said the circumstances were especially devastating because Kinard’s two young children had also been preparing to celebrate their parents.
“I think especially of his two young children, who must have put on their finest clothes and were looking forward to their parents’ wedding,” she said.
Kinard was a father of two and the founder of Pepit-Immo, a real estate agency in Habay.
He was also well-known in the community and supported local youth soccer teams through RSC Habay.
Habay Mayor Olivier Barthélémy said Kinard’s sudden death has stunned people across the region.
“His death has shocked many people in the region,” Barthélémy said. “He was a very enthusiastic person, always cheerful, always laughing.”
What was supposed to be a joyful wedding celebration instead ended with a family and an entire community mourning a devastating loss.
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