Ex-Army Ranger Married Less Than Seven Hours Stops With New Bride to Help Stranded Motorist -- What Happens Next Is Incredibly Tragic

CHICAGO (TheBlaze/AP) — A former Army Ranger married less than seven hours was killed along with a stranded motorist he stopped to help in the snow when they were struck by several vehicles, authorities say.

William "Riley" Knight, 49 was driving with his new wife, Nikki, from their wedding reception to a hotel when they saw a woman who had slid off the road in the snow near Crown Point, Ind. where Knight lived, about 11:45 p.m. Saturday.

Image source: WGN-TV

"He said, 'We've got to stop, it's late and they need help,'" Nikki Knight told the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday.

Knight pulled his truck into a nearby driveway and Nikki Knight waited inside while he went out to help Linda Darlington, 42, also of Crown Point. They were standing by the side of the road when they were struck by one vehicle, and then two more, the Lake County sheriff's office said.

Nikki Knight, a registered nurse, said when she got to the wreck, neither Knight nor Darlington had pulses. They were pronounced dead at the scene early Sunday.

The Knights’ wedding ceremony took place at 5 p.m. earlier that evening, Nikki Knight told the Sun-Times.

“He was the type of person who was willing to put himself on the line and support you no matter what,” she told the newspaper.

"I went from a being a newlywed to a widow in less than 48 hours — the highest high to the lowest low," Knight added. "It's a blur."

Police said all drivers involved in the crash remained at the scene. No charges had been filed as of Sunday afternoon.

Knight served as a U.S. Army Ranger in the 82nd Airborne Division for about 12 years, including foreign tours of duty in Operation Desert Storm, Nikki Knight told WMAQ-TV in Chicago, adding that he had been working as a heat treating specialist in northwest Indiana.

Knight also is survived by two his two daughters, a stepdaughter and stepson.

Here's a report from WGN-TV in Chicago:

This post has been updated.

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