Ledes -- Who's Getting Married?

Word order can seriously impact the meaning of what you write. Like here:

A local 22-year-old was killed when he lost control of his vehicle while trying to avoid a dog on the way to his wedding.

So, who was on his way to his wedding: the 22-year-old or the dog? Literally read what you wrote here: " ... a dog on his way to his wedding."

Yes, readers can assume you meant the person. But we're not in the assumption business; we're in the make-things-crystal-clear biz.

Now, why was this not a fatal? I can't say this was a factual error, just confusing and prone to misinterpretation.

To be more clear, I might have changed the word order to this (caps mine):

A local 22-year-old was killed ON THE WAY TO HIS WEDDING when he lost control of his vehicle while trying to avoid a dog.

See how the reordered sentence eliminates any chance for confusion?

Make sure that you aren't saying something you don't intend to say.