Influencer Laura Viktoria Härtig has died at age 30 following a head-on bicycle crash with Olympian Peter Runggaldier while on her honeymoon in Italy.
Härtig was involved in a serious crash while traveling through the Dolomite mountain range in northern Italy on June 23 when her bicycle collided with a motorcycle being driven uphill by Runggaldier, 57, per local media outlets. The incident occurred just two days after Härtig shared photos from her Italian wedding to husband Tilman via her Instagram account, captioning a June 21 post, “Soulmate for life.”
Local reports allege that the head-on collision was so intense that it split Härtig’s bicycle in half and sent her flying into the road. She was reportedly resuscitated at the scene by medics and then rushed away for immediate medical treatment.
The Mirror reported that Härtig was airlifted to a hospital in Bolzano but her family later had her moved to Bavaria, where she died on Sunday, July 12.
At the time, local police said via Facebook: “Road accident. This morning the force attended a road accident at Passo Sella, kilometer 32+400. A motorcycle and a bicycle were involved. Traffic was stuck for about an hour. Intervened in support of the Canazei VVF, the White Cross of Canazei, Trentino emergency and the helicopter services.”
Per the outlet, Runggaldier suffered serious fractures and abdominal injuries in the crash.
Us Weekly has reached out to Runggaldier for comment.
An investigation into the crash by the Trento Prosecutor’s Office remains ongoing, per The Mirror.
On Tuesday, Runggaldier broke his silence via Instagram to ask the public to respect his privacy while he heals.
Laura Viktoria Hartig Courtesy Instagram / Laura Viktoria Hartig
“Dear friends, in regard to the serious road accident in which I was involved, I ask you to respect my moment of pain and my need for confidentiality,” he wrote. “My thoughts go out to all the people involved and their families. I trust in your sensitivity and please understand that at this time I will not give any interviews or statements.”
Runggaldier is an accomplished alpine skier, having represented Italy at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, and again in Nagano, Japan, in 1998. He won the World Cup of Alpine Skiing twice, in 1995 in Whistler, Canada, and in 1996 in Hakuba, Japan.
Meanwhile, Härtig gained a social media following under the name “AllTimeLaura,” describing herself as an “outdoor enthusiast” who was passionate about “ski, hiking, climbing, cycling [and] mountains.”
“I just love to be outside,” she wrote via her Instagram bio.
On June 21, she shared footage from her wedding in northern Italy, where she exchanged vows with husband Tilman during an outdoor ceremony in front of an alpine mountain range.
