A woman who was caught up in deadly Las Vegas mass shooting has married the man who saved her life on that fatal night.
US woman Chantal Melanson was enjoying a night out at a bar on day two of the Route 91 Harvest festival when a stranger came over
Woman marries man who saved her life during Las Vegas mass shooting
NZ Herald
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The couple on the night of the festival, just before the mass shooting, and at their courthouse wedding. Photo / @Tragedytolove
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After chatting and dancing together the pair soon realised there was a spark. The next day Chantal decided to head along to the festival early, messaging Austin if he wanted to meet up.
The pair took a photo together in front of the stage and continued to dance the festival night away.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by 𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍 & 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 (@tragedytolove) on
One hour later, just after 10pm on October 1, 2017, gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd, shooting from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel above the crowd.
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Their lives changed forever.
"We thought it was fireworks at the beginning since all big concerts usually have some kind of fireworks, however when it wasn't stopping, everyone dropped to the ground," Chantal told Metro.
"We were on the ground across from each other so we both were looking at each other. We stayed on the ground for a while and the shots were not stopping.
"Austin's friends' parents told everyone to run to safety because the shots were non stop. Everyone ran in different directions but Austin stayed with me and we ran together. We ran across the entire festival grounds stopping a few times to get shelter."
Austin holding her hand tight helped her escape unharmed.
Fifty eight people people died in the shooting, while a further 869 people were injured.
The pair jumped into a taxi, along with an injured victim and were taken to hospital.
With the city in lockdown, Austin and Chantal shared a night in hospital, supporting one another as they dealt with the emotional toll of what happened.
The next day the pair parted ways, with Austin flying home to California and Chantal back to Canada.
The couple FaceTimed each other every day and fell in love.
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Chantal says: "He was the only person I wanted to talk to. It just felt so right and safe talking to him after what we went through. He told me he would come visit me in Canada.
"Six weeks later he made his promise! And we never spent more than six weeks apart, either me going to California or him Canada."
Austin proposed on March 8, 2019, after 18 months together, taking Chantal to her favourite beach, Laguna Beach in California.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by 𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍 & 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 (@tragedytolove) on
The couple were legally married on November 1, but still plan a proper wedding with friends and family after Covid-19 ruined their May wedding party plans.
They plan to rearrange their wedding party and celebrate their remarkable love story when lockdown is over.