US groom killed while helping a stranded motorist hours after his wedding

He and the stranded woman he helped both died in the incident

A groom from the US returning from his own wedding was killed in a road accident after he stopped to help a driver stuck in the snow.

William “Riley” Knight had been married for less than seven hours when he and a stranded motorist were struck by several vehicles.

The 49-year-old had left his wedding reception and was travelling to a hotel when the accident happened in Crown Point, northwest Indiana.

He was driving with his new wife Nikki at around 11:45pm on Saturday when they spotted a woman who had slid off the road into the snow.

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

According to the Lake County sheriff, Mrs Knight waited inside the car as he pulled his truck into a driveway. He was helping Linda Darlington, 42, when the pair was struck by one vehicle, and then two more.

Mrs Knight, who is a registered nurse, tended to her husband and Ms Darlington, but neither had a pulse. They were pronounced dead at the scene early on Sunday.

“I went from a being a newly-wed to a widow in less than 48 hours – the highest high to the lowest low,” Mrs Knight said. “It's a blur.”

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