'I would trade myself in a second to bring her back ... I just miss her'

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A group of family and friends gathered in a Vancouver park Sunday night to mourn the loss of a woman who was killed in a car crash just two days after she was married.

Nadya Kryshtal, 20, died Aug. 26 in a crash just south of the Oregon-California border. The crash left behind her husband -- the man she married just two days previous.

"We were just together all the time and there was never any fighting or arguing ... we just clicked," said groom Joshua Bridge.

Bridge and Kryshtal were at the threshold of their life together. They had plans to travel, have kids someday and pursue careers in music -- a passion the two shared.

A three-year courtship between the two culminated in their August marriage at the historic Overlook House in North Portland. There, promises were made, vows were sealed with a kiss and laughter -- always in their friendship and romance -- was always present.

Two days after their wedding, the couple set out for their honeymoon -- a roadtrip to Santa Barbara, Calif., with some borrowed CDs for entertainment.

"I was playing some Black Sabbath -- heavy metal stuff -- and I was like, 'You don't know this song? Like, you don't know Iron Man?' and she was like, 'No. Was this like a popular song?' I was like, 'It's Iron Man, Nadya. Everybody knows what this song is,'" Bridge said.

Around 9:30 at night, Bridge said he'd fallen asleep. He had plans to wake up later and drive the rest of the way. However, his injuries -- a broken collar bone and a broken foot -- are the results of what happened next. A deer had jumped out in front of the car, causing the crash that ultimately took Nadya's life.

"I woke up when she swerved to miss the deer and then all I remember is screaming," he said. "I thought I heard her calling to me but, I guess that wouldn't have been possible. I went to sleep and Nadya was there. I woke up and she was gone."
 
"I would trade myself in a second to bring her back," he said. "It's just cruel ... cruel the whole thing. You either take both or you don't take anyone. You don't leave one of us here. I just miss her so much."

Bridge said he's extremely grateful for all the friends and family who has supported him through the ordeal. Bridge's aunt who was also riding in the car when it crashed is recovering from serious injuries.