Red roses and white daisies rest where a marriage ended — just hours after it began.
On Sunday around 8:30 p.m., Kali Dobson, still in her wedding dress, and her husband Ryan Quinton had just left their wedding reception site in Ball Ground when their sports car veered off Ga. 5 and rolled down an embankment, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The Pontiac Firebird flipped over, ejecting Dobson before coming to a rest. Dobson was trapped under the car. She died at the scene.
GSP says Quinton told investigators he had swerved to avoid hitting a dog in the road. Dobson was not wearing her seat belt, GSP said.
Two days after celebrating her wedding, a family must now plan a funeral for Dobson, just 25.
Dobson’s Facebook page is filled with smiling photos, happy moments. Dobson, a pretty blonde who lived in Ball Ground, posted photos of beach vacations, get-togethers with friends, and many images of the love of her life.
Her cover photo features two hands forming a heart. Her right hand presses up against the left hand of Quinton, who is 27.
Her Facebook page also includes a snapshot of her diamond engagement ring with the message: … I said YES :))) happiest girl alive!
On Sunday, Dobson and Quinton exchanged vows and celebrated their reception at The Wheeler House, a beautifully restored reception site with heart pine floors, eight fireplaces and wraparound porches.
The Wheeler House was not available for comment. It posted the following comment on its Facebook page:
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dobson and Quinton families. May Kali and the love this beautiful couple shared never be forgotten.
Chris Thomas told Channel 2 Action News he was driving down Ball Ground Highway Sunday night when he saw Quinton stumbling along the side of the road.
“His shirt was all torn up and he was bleeding. He had blood all over his face and blood coming out of his hands and stuff and just looked bad. And it scared me to death,” Thomas said.
“There was nothing that could be done. The car was on top of her. You couldn’t even see her,” Thomas said.
Thomas said he called 911 while trying to comfort Quinton.
“I said, ‘Come here, buddy.’ I didn’t even know his name, and I held him and I said, ‘Let’s pray,’ and we prayed,” Thomas said.
Thomas said he returned to the scene Monday, trying to come to terms with the stunning tragedy.
“What should have been the greatest, most beautiful day of their lives is the end of one and what could very well be something hard for this young man to get over. I pray that he will,” Thomas said.
Quinton is recovering from his injuries at Northside Cherokee Hospital. GSP says any charges will depend on the results of a blood test.
By late Tuesday, wedding photographs started appearing on the Facebook pages of Dobson’s friends. In one, there are no words — only a picture of a blissful couple on a cloudy, mild winter wedding day. A pretty bride beams in a lace wedding dress, her wavy hair swept up. She smiles.
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