BUCKNER, Ill. (AP) — A 40-year-old bride died in a motorcycle accident as her new husband drove her to their wedding reception in southern Illinois.
The Carbondale Southern Illinoisan reports that Jana Miles-Burnett of Whittington, Ill. died Saturday night following her marriage ceremony at a local city park.
Illinois State Police report that husband William Burnett was driving the couple the three miles to their reception at a bar in Christopher when he struck a deer that darted in front of them on a rural highway. Miles-Burnett was thrown from the motorcycle. Her husband was not seriously injured.
The couple had dated for only a few months before marrying.
Miles-Burnett’s identity was confirmed to the newspaper by family members and a funeral home.
She worked as a Franklin County emergency dispatcher.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help pay for her memorial and funeral, which will be held on Thursday. As of Tuesday morning, more than $3,400 had been donated.
“Jana was my mother-in-law, a true inspiration, and a loving soul. She accepted me into her family with open arms and constant giggling and laughter. In my two years of being a part of their family, not once did I witness Jana in a bad mood!” wrote her daughter-in-law, Khole Smillie, on the GoFundMe page.
