Wrong-way crash in Georgia claims lives of newlywed couple and unborn child

Police in Athens confirmed on December 24 that Lexi Waldroup, 25, died from injuries sustained in the crash four days earlier. Waldroup had been 15 weeks pregnant at the time of the collision. With her death, the unborn baby also did not survive.

Her husband, Soonhoon Choi, 25, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred shortly after midnight on December 21 on Georgia State Route 10 near Athens, a roadway that has seen multiple serious accidents over the years.

According to police, a vehicle driven by Desiree Browning, 26, entered the highway traveling in the wrong direction. The Kia Seltos first struck a Mercedes-Benz and a Ford vehicle before colliding head-on with Choi’s Toyota Camry. The force of the impact killed Choi instantly and left Waldroup critically injured. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she remained in intensive care for four days before succumbing to her injuries.

Browning, the wrong-way driver, also died at the scene. A passenger in her vehicle sustained serious injuries and remains hospitalized. Athens-Clarke County police said the investigation is ongoing, including how the vehicle entered the roadway against traffic and whether impairment or other factors played a role.

The loss has been particularly heartbreaking given the couple’s circumstances. According to a GoFundMe page organized by family members, Choi and Waldroup were newlyweds, having married just six months earlier in June. They were preparing to build a life together and were expecting their first child.

Waldroup’s father, Aaron Bedgood, wrote that his daughter “fought bravely” following the crash but ultimately passed away surrounded by family. “We are preparing her funeral with indescribable pain,” he said, adding that the family hopes Waldroup will be laid to rest alongside her husband so that “the two can be together forever.”

In a statement shared on social media, relatives described Waldroup as someone who lived a short but joyful life. “Though her time with us was brief, it was filled with love, wonder, and happiness,” the family wrote. “Her absence will leave a lasting ache in all of our hearts.”

An online fundraiser launched on December 22 to help cover medical and funeral expenses quickly drew support. Within 22 hours, more than $7,000 had been raised, and by the morning of December 26, donations had climbed to nearly $31,178. Organizers said the funds will be used primarily for funeral arrangements.

While the investigation into the crash continues, the broader implications of the incident are already clear. Wrong-way driving crashes, though relatively rare, are among the deadliest types of roadway accidents. They often occur late at night or in the early morning hours and frequently involve high speeds, limited visibility, and, in some cases, impairment. When they happen, victims in properly traveling vehicles have little time to react.

For the families of Choi and Waldroup, however, statistics offer little comfort. Their loss is not an abstract traffic-safety issue but a permanent rupture—a future erased in seconds. A young couple’s plans, a child never born, and parents now left to grieve what might have been.

As police work to determine exactly how and why the wrong-way vehicle entered the highway, the tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the far-reaching consequences of a single moment on the road. For one family, a routine drive ended in an irreversible loss that words and numbers can scarcely capture.

The community now mourns not just two lives, but three.

By Mooyoung Lee [lee.mooyoung@koreadaily.com]