Hospital staff helped transform an unexpected medical stay into a wedding ceremony after the groom was injured on the way to the venue.
ORLANDO, Fla. — A Central Florida couple exchanged wedding vows at Orlando Regional Medical Center on Sept. 5 after the groom was seriously injured in a head-on crash while traveling to their planned ceremony in Altamonte Springs.
Kapri DeRamus was heading to marry Tyasia Thomas when the crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. on East Altamonte Drive, according to the couple’s attorneys. The Altamonte Springs Police Department said three people were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. DeRamus suffered two broken arms, a broken jaw, a rib injury and a significant cut to his knee, his attorneys said.
Thomas learned about the crash about an hour before the couple was scheduled to marry. She and relatives who had gathered for the wedding left the planned celebration and went to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where DeRamus was receiving treatment. After doctors stabilized him, the couple decided not to postpone the marriage.
Friends and relatives gathered later that evening in a hospital multipurpose area, where DeRamus remained in a hospital bed. His grandfather officiated the ceremony. Thomas’ father walked her down an improvised aisle as hospital staff helped make the clinical space feel more like the ceremony the couple had expected to attend that day.
Hospital workers also helped with smaller details. Thomas told FOX 35 Orlando that a nurse gathered flowers from plants around the hospital and arranged them into a bouquet with rubber bands. Staff also played music from their phones as relatives gathered for the ceremony.
The wedding followed hours of uncertainty for the couple. DeRamus later said he was grateful to have survived the collision. Thomas said seeing the wreckage underscored for her how serious the crash had been. Their decision to marry that night turned what had been planned as a traditional wedding into a small ceremony surrounded by medical equipment, hospital workers and close relatives.
DeRamus continued wearing his wedding ring despite the injuries to his arms and hands. He said the ring represented the relationship he and Thomas had built during six years together. Thomas described the circumstances as an immediate test of the promises they were making to one another, including their vow to remain together through illness and good health.
The couple’s original plans included a wedding at an events center in Altamonte Springs. Instead, the ceremony took place several miles away at the hospital as DeRamus began treatment. A honeymoon also had to be postponed while he focused on recovery.
DeRamus was discharged from the hospital Wednesday and is expected to continue recovering outside the hospital. The couple told FOX 35 Orlando that they hope to take a European honeymoon after his treatment and physical therapy are completed. Altamonte Springs police are continuing to investigate the crash.
Author note: Last updated September 11, 2026.