A father of three who married his high school sweetheart was tragically killed in a freak accident after the UTV hauling his sled crashed into another vehicle on Saturday.
Christopher O’Quinn, 36, was sledding with his wife, Jordan, and a family friend on a private property in Abbeville, South Carolina when the tragedy struck. Their sled was hitched to a UTV as they glided over the residual snowfall left by Winter Storm Fern the week prior.
While they were cruising, O’Quinn’s “sled impacted another UTV,” Abbeville County Coroner Brad Evans told 7News.
O’Quinn’s friend was also on the sled when the vehicles collided. Both were rushed to the hospital, where O’Quinn eventually succumbed to the blunt force trauma injuries he sustained to his head.
The exact condition of the couple’s friend is unclear.
O’Quinn is survived by his wife and their three children, all of whom he loved “with every part of his soul,” Jordan told the outlet.
“He was an intentional father. He took each of my children by the face, every night, and told them how much he loved them and how much he was proud of them,” Jordan said through tears.
“He loved big and he loved hard, and everyone that was around him knew that he cared for them. He was one in a million. One in a million.”
His widow told the publication that her family is leaning into their faith as they try to fathom moving forward without O’Quinn by their sides. Jordan herself hasn’t been without O’Quinn since they first met in high school.
“There’s just a peace that passes all understanding. I know that he’s just praising the Father, that he’s at the feet of the Lord and that longing to be there with him, I think that’s what’s going to keep us going,” she said.
In a separate post on Facebook, Jordan shared a candid photo of O’Quinn waiting for her on the dance floor at a friend’s wedding while nursing a drink.
“Now as he is dancing on the streets of gold, I know he is patiently waiting on my arrival. Save me a dance my Chris O’Quinn,” Jordan wrote in a heartbreaking sign-off.
Dozens of similar sledding accidents were reported across the country in the wake of Winter Storm Fern — particularly in southern and midwestern states that rarely see any snow.
In Kansas, a 15-year-old careened right into a gaping 11-inch-wide drain pipe on a golf course and needed to be rescued by emergency responders.
In Texas, two teenage girls were killed after their sled, which was hitched to the back of a friend’s Jeep, slammed against a curb and careened into a tree.
In Oklahoma, a mother died after she was accidentally run over by a friend’s car while sledding in the street.
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