Just three weeks after tying the knot, a 30-year-old influencer died after a bike collision in Italy. She and her husband were in the country for their honeymoon.
The tragic collision happened on June 23. The influencer, Laura Viktoria Härtig, and her husband, had just gotten married a couple of days before. She died 19 days later, on Sunday, July 12, while in the hospital. The content Härtig created prior to her death made it clear that she loved the outdoors and was especially passionate about her mountain adventures, which involved skiing, climbing, and cycling.
During their honeymoon, Härtig had been cycling on a state road near a mountain pass.
As she was cycling in Northern Italy, she collided head-on with former Olympic skier Peter Runggaldier, who was driving a motorcycle, according to The U.S. Sun. Ruggaldier has not really commented on the tragedy itself, but asked for privacy via a statement shared on social media.
“Dear friends, in regard to the serious road accident in which I was involved, I ask you to respect my moment of pain and my need for confidentiality,” he wrote, per People. “My thoughts go out to all the people involved and their families. I trust in your sensitivity and please understand that at this time I will not give any interviews or statements.”
According to Italian media outlets, the collision remains under investigation. The U.S. Sun reported that the crash left Runggaldier with some serious injuries as well, and he was airlifted to a hospital. He is reportedly cooperating with law enforcement as the tragic incident is investigated.
The collision split Härtig’s bike in half and left her with critical injuries.
She was rushed to a hospital in the area before later being transferred to one in her home country, Germany. On July 16, the heartbreaking news of her death was shared via her Instagram page, where she had posted lots of outdoorsy content related to hiking, climbing, cycling, and traveling.
The post about her death also noted that she loved the mountains, and via her Instagram, she was able to share that “passion” with others. She had more than 53,000 followers on Instagram. The person who shared the news also thanked Härtig’s followers for their support. “Thank you for your condolences, support and kind words,” the post read in part. “…Until we meet again on the next summit, Laura.”
Toward the end of June, just two days before the collision, she shared footage from her wedding day.
In the video, the newlyweds celebrated their nuptials while surrounded by loved ones. Härtig had captioned the post with, “Soulmate for life. 💫🩵✨ 🪢” Text over the video read, “can somebody pinch me?”
In April, she posted about how much she was looking forward to her wedding day. “At the moment it’s a bit quieter here than usual and that’s especially because of that -💍 👀” she wrote at the time. “I can’t even believe it myself, because it’s now less than two months until the day.. ⛰️ Can someone pinch me?”
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