MONROE COUNTY, Ill. — A Southern Illinois community is shaken after a 20-year-old was killed in a car crash on Saturday while serving as a groomsman in a wedding.
Chance Karnes was riding in a Ford Bronco on Illinois Route 3 south of Red Bud, Illinois around 5:15 p.m. He was riding with the newlyweds and other members of the wedding party when a Chevy truck hit them at the intersection of Old Route 3. Everyone in the Bronco was injured but expected to recover except Karnes, who was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.
“He's going to be greatly missed,” his former teacher Kevin Dunaway said. “This is just one of those terrible, terrible accidents, that you question. But you just can't replace those individuals. He had leadership, stepped up to those responsibilities. The way he conducted himself. On the athletic field, in the classroom, in the shop. He's just one of those people you can't help but like."
Dunaway said Karnes was an apprentice in a construction program. He graduated Herrin High School in Williamson County in 2020.
His mother said he was a hard-nosed football player. He was the quarterback but also played defensive back and punter. He had a special bond with his dad who was also his head coach.
His real passion was horses. His mother said he rode every day.
There will be a memorial scholarship set up in Chance’s honor.
Click here to help further Chance’s legacy.