An Oklahoma bride-to-be suffered a brutal, unprovoked attack during her bachelorette trip in Texas, leaving her hospitalized just four weeks before her wedding. Canada Rinaldi, 27, enjoyed a night out with six bridesmaids in Dallas on Sunday. The group left a club around 2 a.m. and waited for their Uber, according to WFAA.
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Suddenly, a man approached Rinaldi from behind and delivered a vicious punch to her face. The blow knocked her unconscious, causing her to slam onto the concrete. "It's shocking. It's hard to believe," Rinaldi told WFAA through tears. "I feel like my experiences were stolen from me."
An Uber driver's dash camera captured the assault. The footage reveals the attacker striking Rinaldi without warning. One bridesmaid, Kelly Peralta, attempted to intervene but received a punch from the assailant as well. The man then fled the scene. Video shows police and friends surrounding Rinaldi as she lay motionless on the street.
"It's so traumatic," Peralta said. Rinaldi regained consciousness in an ambulance en route to the hospital. The attack shattered her nose, knocked out three teeth, and left her with a concussion, a black eye, and eight stitches on her face.
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Kirsten McDowell, another bridesmaid, witnessed the horrifying moment. She told NBCDFW the incident destroyed what should have been a joyous celebration. "It's heartbreaking seeing her so upset and injured," McDowell said. "This was supposed to be one of the best trips of her life, and it went wrong so fast."
Rinaldi now faces physical recovery and emotional turmoil. She also contends with mounting medical bills from the ambulance, hospital stay, and dental repairs, estimated at $10,000. "I'm not excited to plan my wedding anymore," she told WFAA.
Friends launched a fundraiser to support Rinaldi's unexpected costs. "She's trying to heal physically, emotionally, and financially when she should be counting down to her wedding," McDowell wrote on the fundraiser page. Rinaldi noted the attack deeply affected her sisters, who saw her get struck and collapse. "They're struggling pretty bad, too," she said.
The Dallas Police Department is investigating the assault. No arrests have been made, and the suspect remains unidentified. Rinaldi expressed frustration but hopes for justice. "It's not fair this happened to me," she said. "I hope he's caught so no one else suffers."
