A wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest moments of a young person's life. There's nothing more joyous than being surrounded by loved ones and saying 'I do' to the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Unfortunately, not every couple gets to make it down the aisle. Below are some of the worst instances of bachelor and bachelorette parties gone wrong. In this list you'll find tragic accidents, stupid mistakes, and even instances of murder that completely derailed bachelor or bachelorette parties. If you want to throw your own party, it's best if you try to avoid these mistakes.
The Worst Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties,
Bachelor Party Ends in a Hail of Bullets
A messy, confusing, and chaotic situation involving a strip club and the NYPD resulted in the death of groom-to-be Sean Bell way back in 2006. Police were performing an undercover investigation at the strip club because of reports about selling narcotics and prostitution. Sean Bell and his group were there celebrating Bell's bachelor party, when suddenly everything fell apart. While the police came in to raid the place, Bell and his crew tried to flee the scene in their vehicle, hitting an undercover NYPD officer while doing it. That prompted surrounding police to open fire on Bell's car, firing 50 shots total and killing Bell. The event caused quite a stir in the community, with the Reverend Al Sharpton standing by the victim's family, asking the world, "How does one justify 50 shots at unarmed men?"
Beware the Tractor-Trailer
While out celebrating her bachelorette party in a fancy stretch limousine, bride-to-be Sunshine Royston was tragically killed in Baltimore when a tractor-trailer slammed into her ride in the wee hours of the morning. Early reports suggest the tractor-trailer was at fault for not yielding the right of way, and what should have been a night of fun ended in horror. Royston suffered head injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital a little while later. Her stepfather was quoted saying, "They thought they did the right thing by not going out drinking and driving and guess what? You do the right thing and it still doesn't pay off."
Woman Dies in Car Crash Driving to Own Bachelorette Party
Minutes before getting involved in a deadly car crash, bride-to-be Collette Moreno took one last selfie with her best friend, Ashley Theobald, while driving to her own bachelorette party. Theobald was driving when one poorly judged move caused the women to collide with an oncoming car, ending Moreno's life and severely injuring Theobald. Theobald thought she had enough space to pass the car in front of her, but her calculations were off, causing a deadly mistake. "It felt like a messed-up dream and I needed to wake up from it," Moreno's mom later told reporters, "And I just couldn't believe it. I still can't."
Young Mother Killed After Falling from Party Bus
Jaime Frecks was a part of a bachelorette party that ended in tragedy in Kansas City in 2013. The hardworking mother was taking a night off to take part in the festivities, and the party lead the group to an appropriately named party bus. While driving down the interstate, Frecks somehow managed to fall out of the emergency door of the bus, where she was then run over by several cars on the highway. The worst part? Reports say that three cars hit Frecks after she fell out of the bus, but only the second car stopped. Later, one of her friends who was on the bus described the situation as "a nightmare." No kidding.
Limousine Fire Leaves Five Dead
Never trust a car's drive shaft and the rear floor board - enough friction between them could result in major problems. In 2013, nine passengers out celebrating a bachelorette party in San Francisco faced what became known as a "catastrophic failure" when the back of their limo suddenly caught on fire. Flames soon engulfed the limo, killing five people including 31-year-old Neriza Fojas, the bride-to-be. The driver of the car, Ricky Brown, reported days later that during the ride, one of the passengers knocked on the separator and said "smoke." Brown thought she wanted to stop to smoke a cigarette and kept driving. It was only after that he realize what she meant. The fire was officially ruled an accident some time later.
Drunk Driver Leaves Bride-to-be Clinging For Life
In Long Island, New York, a limo carrying an eight-person bachelorette party was struck by a drunk driver after a night of merry celebration. Four of the women were killed on-site, but the bride was rushed to the hospital where she remained in critical condition. The driver of the truck that hit them was identified as 55-year-old Steven Romeo, and after initially fleeing the scene of the crime, he was apprehended a short time later. Romeo was arraigned from his hospital bed on a mighty $1 million bond, and pleaded not guilty.
Groom Murdered by His Friends at Bachelor Party
Probably the biggest tip for throwing a bachelor party is not inviting people who might murder you. It's a lesson that groom-to-be Ramsey Raulinautis unfortunately found out the hard way. During his bachelor party, Raulinautis took his friends out, but the night went very differently than he anticipated. It ended with Raulinautis severely beaten and then set on fire by his "friends." His fiance, Mandy Hammond, had to identify the body, but she could hardly tell it was him. "I could barely recognize him, he had horrific injuries and burns." Maybe this should be stressed again: don't surround yourself with people who want you dead.
Bachelor Party Disrupted by Plane Crash
Steve Peterson, a member of a bachelor party celebrating in Las Vegas, shouldn't have even been in the plane that ended his life. Months earlier, the group had reserved spots for Sky Combat Ace, a service that lets people become student fighter pilots for an hour, meaning they sit in the front seat while an instructor pilot controls the aircraft from the backseat. When the group arrived, they noticed bad weather and were hesitant about going through with their lesson. However, the company had a strict no-refund policy and if they didn't want to fly, they would forfeit the $8,000 they deposited.
Against their wishes, the group went up in the planes, but one of them, carrying Peterson and his instructor pilot, never made it back safely. The bad weather caused it to crash, killing both individuals. Another member of the bachelor party, Dan Lichau, told reporters, "We thought this was going to be a fun bachelor party and it turned out to be the worst nightmare any of us have ever experienced."
Who Knew Alcohol Was So Deadly?
At bachelor parties, you expect there to be drinking... just hopefully not enough to kill you. In this case, the groom-to-be was Paul Tobutt, who spent his bachelor party in Spain with his friends. Not being as familiar with the customs of the different country, Tobutt took part in the "dentist chair," which is basically a tradition where the groom-to-be sits in a chair and people pour alcohol down his throat. Let's just say Tobutt drank a looooot. After, his friends carried him to their room where they just assumed he had passed out. It was only in the cold, sobering light of morning that they realized their friend was dead. His father was quoted saying, "I don't think that would happen in this country." So if you go to a different country and get offered the "dentist chair," politely say no and casually drink your diet ginger ale.
Bride-to-be Paralyzed After Party Joke Gone Wrong
At her own bachelorette party, Rachelle Friedman was celebrating with her closest friends when they all decided to go for a swim. They changed into their bathing suits, and set off to play in the pool. It was there that Friedman's best friend jokingly pushed her into the water... but with disastrous results. Friedman fell awkwardly and hit her head on the bottom of the pool. "I instantly went stiff and couldn't move," Friedman told reporters. "I weirdly did not panic, I kind of knew exactly what happened." As traumatic as the experience was, Friedman remained determined to get married, and even with the slight delay, she still married the man she loved.