Nic Kerdiles, former NHL player and Savannah Chrisley’s ex-fiancee, dies in motorcycle crash
By Eric Levenson, CNN
(CNN) — Nic Kerdiles, a former hockey player who was engaged to the reality TV star Savannah Chrisley, was killed in a motorcycle crash in Nashville early Saturday morning, police said.
Kerdiles, 29, was driving a motorcycle when he collided with an SUV at the intersection of 14th Avenue North and Wheless Street, Nashville Police said in a statement to CNN affiliate WSMV.
The preliminary investigation showed he traveled through a stop sign and struck the driver’s side of a BMW, police said. The SUV driver stopped immediately, and there were no signs of impairment for either driver, police said. No charges are anticipated, police said.
Kerdiles was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center but died of the injuries.
Kerdiles was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2nd round of the 2012 NHL Draft. A left wing, he played in a total of just three games with the Ducks in the 2016-2017 season and the 2017-2018 season.
The Ducks shared their condolences in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We’re heartbroken to hear the news about Nic Kerdiles, who died in a motorcycle accident this morning. An Irvine native, Nic became the first player from Orange County to play for the Ducks, in 2017,” the team said. “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to his family and loved ones.”
Kerdiles also made several appearances in the USA Network reality shows “Chrisley Knows Best” and “Growing Up Chrisley,” which followed the Atlanta real estate moguls Todd and Julie Chrisley and their children.
In a 2019 episode, Kerdiles proposed to Savannah Chrisley in front of her family. They called off the engagement just over a year later but remained close. In a 2022 episode, the two decided to try to make their relationship work, and he acknowledged the end of his hockey career was an issue in their relationship.
“A career change for me was huge,” he said. “Hockey was my entire life, and so when I had to retire, I can admit that I didn’t handle it the best way.”
Chrisley posted to her Instagram story Saturday a photo of the two holding hands on the beach.
“Heaven gained the most beautiful angel today … I miss you and I love you… I’ll forever save our last messages of ‘I love you’ … please send me a sign that you’re ok… maybe it’ll be thru a ham and cheese crepe.. or pasta with white sauce… or maybe even your favorite carrot cake,” she wrote.
“We loved hard… and I can’t wait to ride bikes along the beaches of heaven with you one day.”
In 2021, 5,932 motorcyclists were killed in crashes, an 8% increase from the year before and the highest number of deaths since data collection began in 1975, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Motorcycles make up about 3% of all registered vehicles and 0.6% of vehicle miles traveled in the US, but motorcyclists account for 14% of all traffic deaths, according to the National Safety Council.
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CNN’s Cara-Lynn Clarkson contributed to this report.
