What should have been a joyful night out in Dallas ended in violence for 27-year-old Canada Rinaldi, an Oklahoma bride-to-be who was brutally attacked just four weeks before her wedding.
The assault occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday in the Deep Ellum, Dallas TX neighborhood as Rinaldi and her friends were walking to their Uber after a night out. According to a GoFundMe campaign launched by a member of her bridal party, Rinaldi was knocked unconscious, suffering a broken nose, three broken teeth, and a deep facial wound requiring eight stitches.
Dash cam footage from a nearby Lyft driver captured the moment a man struck Rinaldi before fleeing the scene. Police have not confirmed the suspect’s identity but have reportedly identified a possible person of interest. Rinaldi told PEOPLE the development gave her “a lot of peace of mind.”
She doesn’t remember the attack. “I only remember walking to my Uber and then being in and out of the ambulance and hospital,” she said. “It’s just shocking. It’s just hard to believe. It just feels like a lot of my experiences were taken away from me.”
The incident also left another member of the party injured. Kelly Peralta, Rinaldi’s future aunt-in-law, was punched while trying to shield her from the attacker. “We started walking across the street to get into the Uber, and that’s when he came from behind and punched Canada,” she recalled to NBC 5 DFW.
Just a day before the assault, Rinaldi had told friends she was having “the best trip of her life,” according to the GoFundMe page. That joy quickly turned into what the campaign described as “a terrifying and traumatizing night.”
Despite the trauma, Rinaldi remains focused on healing. “I’m doing well,” she said, noting that her face is healing faster than expected. “I will be almost, if not fully, healed on the outside by the wedding depending on how my nose heals.”
Still, the emotional aftermath lingers. “I feel like I’m not excited to plan my wedding anymore,” she admitted. “But I will still have the best day of my life with the person I love, no matter what I look like.”
The GoFundMe campaign has raised over $12,900 to help cover medical costs and emotional recovery, offering a glimpse at the overwhelming support Rinaldi has received. “She is now trying to heal—not only physically, but emotionally and financially—when she should be counting down the days to her wedding,” the page reads.
As of now, the Dallas Police Department has not released additional details about the investigation.
Sources: GoFundMe, WFAA, NBCDFW
Published: Mar 27, 2025 4:29 PM UTC