Man Dies After Leaving Best Friend’s Wedding for a Phone Charger

A young architect’s trip to celebrate his best friend’s wedding ended in unimaginable tragedy after he briefly left the party to grab a phone charger and never came back.

Daniel Rjabcevs, 28, had flown from London to Albania on June 4 to attend his friend’s wedding. Just two days later, during the evening celebration on June 6, he reportedly left the venue in a rented Fiat to get a phone charger.

That quick errand turned deadly.

According to his devastated older brother, Vlad Merkulovs, wedding guests started to panic when Daniel had been gone for several hours and was not answering his phone.

“He went to the wedding, but at some point, he decided to go and get a phone charger. This is what I’ve been told,” Vlad, 34, said.

Guests tried calling Daniel repeatedly before contacting authorities. The family later learned the horrifying truth: Daniel had been involved in a catastrophic crash.

“My brother’s car, the little Fiat, was smashed from both sides, so there was no chance of survival,” Vlad said.

Daniel suffered devastating injuries, including multiple fractures and traumatic brain injuries. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors performed emergency brain surgery in a desperate attempt to save his life.

“They did brain surgery. They tried to save him, but they said he was in a critical condition and had brain damage,” Vlad said.

Despite the emergency operation, Daniel died from his injuries.

The news shattered his family, especially because Vlad had dropped his younger brother off at the airport only two days before learning he was dead.

“It’s a devastating tragedy and changed our family’s life forever. Our family is heartbroken,” Vlad said.

He described Daniel as a loving son, brother, friend and godfather who brought kindness and positivity into the lives of everyone around him.

“His loss has left an unimaginable void in our family,” Vlad said. “I was his older brother and I treated him like he was my son. He wasn’t just my brother. He was a godfather to my little girl. We feel a lot of pain, and it’s traumatic.”

Daniel, who lived in Hendon in northwest London, worked as an architect. His body is expected to be transported from Albania to Latvia, where his family is originally from, for funeral services.

Vlad has launched a GoFundMe to help cover the crushing expenses that have followed the tragedy, including funeral costs, travel for family members, legal fees, administrative costs and other unexpected bills.

“We are raising funds to help cover funeral expenses, travel costs for family members, legal and administrative expenses, and other unexpected costs resulting from this tragedy,” Vlad wrote on the fundraising page.

“Any donation, no matter how small, will help ease the financial burden during this incredibly difficult time,” he added.

In a later update, Vlad said the family is still trying to get answers from Albanian authorities about what happened in the crash.

“As the investigation continues, our family remains committed to pursuing the truth and ensuring that Daniel’s case receives the attention it deserves,” he wrote.

The Albanian State Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.

What was supposed to be a joyful wedding trip has now become a family’s worst nightmare, all after one brief drive to get a phone charger.