Couple was driving to their wedding when they got caught in a ‘chain reaction’ crash
A New Jersey couple known for “trailblazing” new adventures together had their new lives cut short when they were caught in a “chain reaction” car crash driving to their wedding in Pittsburgh, Fox 29 reported.
A previous crash had already stopped traffic in the area, and an oncoming tractor-trailer could not slow down in time and struck Kathryn Schurtz and her fiance Joseph Kearney’s vehicle, shoving it into another trailer and causing the car to go up in flames, NBC Philadelphia reported.
The crash caused a chain reaction of other crashes that affected the couple’s car and a total of five tractor-trailers, News 12 reported. The couple was killed, and three others were hurt in the crashes, according to NBC Philadelphia.
“Our lives changed tragically last Thursday. Our nephew Joseph Kearney and his beautiful fiancé Kate Schurtz were killed in an automobile accident on their way home for their wedding to be held that day,” Mary Kay Heinle wrote on Facebook. “Our memories will help carry us through. They were truly the brightest shining lights snuffed out way too soon.“
Further details on Kearney’s life were not yet available.
Schurtz was a graduate of George Washington University and Notre Dame, and worked for Oracle Data Cloud in New York City, according to her obituary.
“She will be remembered for her voracious appetite for reading, love of cooking, and trailblazing new adventures with Joseph,” the obituary reads.
“I went to Notre Dame with Kate Schurtz. She was and is a beautiful soul who helped our program in amazing ways. Although we did not stay in touch, she was such a positive impact and I only have great memories with her,” Laura Allio wrote on Facebook.
Schurtz’s mother was a former councilwoman for the town of Fanwood, NJ., and the city posted its condolences on its Facebook page. “We are so very sorry,” the post says.
The tragic crash comes only about a week after a newlywed Texas couple was killed in a helicopter crash hours after they were officially married, McClatchy previously reported.