‘It Was the Perfect Wedding’: Georgia Groom Raised One Last Concern Before Boarding Honeymoon Helicopter — Minutes Later, Disaster Struck
Investigators are trying to look into what caused a deadly helicopter crash that killed a Georgia groom just moments after leaving his wedding.
Dave Fiji, 25, died on May 29 after what his family told WSB-TV was the “perfect wedding.” His bride, Jessni, survived the crash with only cuts and bruises.
The pilot also died, according to WSB-TV. He has not been identified.
The couple was set to leave the party by chopper around 9:30 p.m. to head to Atlanta to begin their honeymoon. But foggy weather delayed the flight after Fiji – also a pilot—expressed concern over the conditions, the New York Post reported.
But the pilot decided to fly at a higher altitude, WSB-TV reported. A short time later, the plane crashed in a densely wooded and mountainous area near Dawsonville, where the wedding took place.
Fiji’s father told WSB-TV that Jessni was trapped under the wreckage and among the trees for 5 hours before she was rescued.
“She said when she woke up, she was under the rubble… and saw him lying on her chest,” he said. “She herself is a nurse. When she touched him, she called out to him. He was already cold.”
The family said that through this devastating loss, they are holding firm to their Christian faith for strength and comfort.
“Both of them told us they could sense the presence of God at the altar, a tangible presence of God,” Pheba Fiji, the groom’s mother, told WSB-TV. “There was a special glow and glory over his face that we couldn’t explain. And it was not just us who noticed.”
Fiji’s parents said he lived a life of purpose and grace, and his bride adored him for it. The couple met ten years ago at church.
“She always says there could never be a man who could preserve himself like David did,” Pheba Fiji told WSB-TV. “He was kind, he was gentle, he was selfless. Those were her words. We have the confidence that God perfected the work that he started in his life.”
The cause of the wreck remains under investigation. The National Transportation Board has also opened an investigation into the event.