Weddings in Texas tend to be larger-than-life celebrations, but one recent Lone Star State reception went viral for all the wrong reasons. What was supposed to be a night of joy, line-dancing, and full-throttle partying turned into a medical emergency after bridesmaid Hannah Buresh suffered a serious injury during a dance stunt. And of course, because this is Texas in the age of TikTok, millions of people ended up watching the painful moment unfold.
The clip filmed at a Texas wedding exploded online with more than 32 million views, thanks in part to the ironic soundtrack choice: Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’.” In the video, Buresh is seen attempting a dramatic lift with her husband, a move they hadn’t practiced in over a year. They were trying to bring a little extra energy to the dance floor, something the bride Rachel Smith had encouraged earlier in the evening. But what started as harmless fun quickly spiraled into a real-life disaster, per PEOPLE.
After nailing multiple rounds of the worm, Buresh and her husband decided to pull out their old line-dancing trick. In seconds, things went wrong. Very wrong. She slipped from his hands and fell backward onto the hard floor, hitting her head, neck, collarbone, and wrist.
“I just went down,” she explained afterward. “I remember thinking, ‘Don’t put your hands out because you’ll break both your arms. Tuck your head.’ Then I blacked out.”
Texas Bridesmaid Suffers Major Injury On The Dance Floor
Instead of calling an ambulance, they made the hour-and-a-half drive to the nearest hospital. A follow-up video from the ER which also went viral, showed Buresh in a neck brace explaining that she couldn’t even pump breast milk without her husband’s help because she could barely move her arms. “It’s wild,” she said, clearly overwhelmed.
Still, what she seemed most upset about wasn’t the injury but missing the rest of the Texas wedding festivities. “I was just bummed to be missing the wedding more than anything,” she admitted. “I felt like it was my Super Bowl.”
While she FaceTimed the sparkler send-off so she wouldn’t completely miss out, her mom did her best to keep the party alive in her absence. Even the wedding vendors reached out later with sweet messages wishing her a fast recovery.
Initially, Buresh who trains in MMA, assumed she’d only dislocated her shoulder and could simply “pop it back in place.” Thankfully, she didn’t try. Doctors discovered her clavicle was broken so severely that the bone was nearly piercing her skin. She underwent emergency orthopedic surgery and now has a plate and four screws holding everything together. Another surgery is expected in about five months.
She’s In Good Spirits
With doctors limiting her lifting to just one pound for now and five pounds until after her next procedure, caring for her 20-pound baby has become an unexpected challenge. Full recovery could take a year.
She was also surprised that many commenters were focused on her outfit pajamas not the injury. “I was glad I was in the PJs because they had to cut them off of me at the hospital,” she joked. “Good thing I wasn’t wearing the bridesmaid dress.”
Looking ahead, the Texas bridesmaid says she’ll still bring high energy to her sister’s and best friend’s upcoming weddings, but maybe with fewer stunts. “I think everyone will have their eyes on me and won’t let me do anything too crazy,” she said. “But it’s a dance party — you’ve got to go hard. Maybe just no more stunts.”
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