The cause of death was smoke inhalation
A 19-year-old woman tragically died in a house fire in US’ Wisconsin just hours before she was set to walk down the aisle, the Independent reported. Paige Ruddy was asleep on the second story of a Reedsburg home when it became engulfed in flames on May 23 around 4 am. She suffered a fatal brain haemorrhage caused by smoke inhalation and died in the hospital the next day.
Notably, she had already exchanged vows with her husband-to-be Logan Mitchell-Carter on Monday and was planning a small ceremony with her close friends and family at the Sauk County Courthouse the next day.
However, on Tuesday, her family woke up to the terrible news. Local fire department Chief Craig Douglas said Ms. Ruddy couldn’t navigate through the smoke to safety. The house, in which the couple was staying, belonged to the groom’s grandparents and reportedly lacked any working smoke detectors.
The Sauk County Coroner’s office confirmed toWMTVthat its preliminary investigation shows that Ms. Ruddy’s cause of death was smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is under investigation but police suspect no foul play was involved. Three other people were home at the time of the fire and managed to escape before firefighters arrived at the scene around 4 am.
”She was just a precious human. There was nothing about her that you couldn’t like. She was this presence you never knew you needed in your life, but always did,” Ruddy’s aunt told NBC 15.
A funeral will take place next week. Meanwhile, the family has set up a GoFundMe dedicated to covering her medical and funeral expenses.
”Monday night the Ruddy family in Reedsburg, Wisconsin went to sleep excited to attend Paige Ruddy and Logan Mitchell-Carter’s small wedding ceremony. Instead, they were woken by police to be informed that there was a fire. Despite the amazing efforts of those who love her, the Reedsburg police and firefighters, EMTs, med flight, and the amazing staff at UW hospital over two horrible days, Paige could not be saved. She passed surrounded by her family and friends who took up a large waiting room in the hospital,” a note on the page reads.
”There are enough good qualities about Paige to fill up a room. Since she was a toddler Paige was full of life, ready to help anyone with anything, and an absolute joy to be around. She was kind, fun, and according to her family had lots of spunk. Paige always worked hard at everything she did,” it further reads.
Ms. Ruddy’s family said she had just graduated from Reedsburg Area High School in June 2022 and planned to enroll in a Vet Tech program at Madison Area Technical College this fall, People reported.