The grieving parents of a seven-year-old boy surprised mourners by getting married during his funeral.
Amilcar Hill and Rahwa Ghirmatizion said it had been their son Asa's long held wish that they get married.
But when he died after being in a six-vehicle pile up last Thursday in upstate New York they decided go ahead and honour that wish.
According to the Associated Press the couple surprised the 700 mourners who packed the church to celebrate Asa's short life.
After the ceremony his mother told the Buffalo News that getting married had been a fitting tribute to her son.
"He'd say, "When are you guys going to get married? How come you're not getting married?' And we'd say, 'We were waiting for you to be part of it.'
"That's why it's so fitting," she said.
The Unitarian minister who conducted both the wedding and the funeral, the Rev. Joel Miller, said the wedding ceremony honoured young Asa Hill's spirit.
Miller told CNN: "He was a powerful presence -- direct, smart, and had a way of bringing people together."
Asa's grandfather and his father's six-year-old brother were also injured in the crash when they were travelling in the grandfather's car on the Niagara Thruway.
His father told the Buffalo News Thursday night that he and his family were "hoping for a miracle" but "planning for reality". Asa was taken to the Women and Children's Hospital in Buffalo but died the next day.
Asa's grandfather, 55-year-old Michael E Hill, suffered several broken ribs and a possible collapsed lung while Tshanolo Hill, Asa's young uncle, suffered minor injuries.
The two young boys spent a lot of time together and Tshanolo had been allowed to visit Asa's bedside.
Amilcar Hill said his son's organs had been donated to help save others' young lives.
Source: (ParentDish US)
Source: (BBC)