Aric Hutchinson and Samantha Miller became husband and wife on April 28, 2023, when they said their vows and danced under the stars near the Atlantic coast.
However, the phrase “until death do you part” arrived too soon for the newlyweds. As Aric and Samantha were leaving their wedding on the island of Folly Beach, off the coast of South Carolina, a drunk driver struck them. Samantha, 34, was killed, and Aric was taken to the emergency clinic. There were two additional harmed travelers on the truck.
According to Lisa Miller, the bride’s mother, “She said I wish this night could go on forever” at the beginning of the golf cart ride. one of her most memorable nights.
Their wonderful day tragically came to an end as the happy couple left the reception under a canopy of sparklers as Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson. Along with Aric’s relatives Benjamin and Brogan Garrett, who were seated in the front of the low-speed vehicle (LSV), the young couple entered the back of the cart, which was street-legal and resembled a golf cart.
They were only two blocks away from their hotel when Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, drove her Toyota rental car into the back of the LSV.
The Associated Press reports that the rental car data showed that Komoroski was traveling at 65 mph in a 25 mph zone when she hit a tree on Folly Beach at 10 p.m. on Friday and only briefly applied the brakes. Andrew Gilreath, the safety department’s director, confirmed that the LSV was equipped with lights and could be driven at night.
“I don’t have the foggiest idea what the interruption was, however she basically ran into my girl at 65 miles each hour,” the lady’s mom, who had only hours before hit the dance floor with her little girl to Bruno Mars’ “Simply How You Are,” told the nearby media.
Samantha’s sister Mandi Jenkins recalls when they saw and heard the alarms close where they were remaining. ” In our pajamas, we were relaxing on the veranda. The sirens started to blare.
According to Jenkins, the sirens continued to ring. They headed to the area when she messaged her sister yet found no solution, and what they found there was awful.
The force of the collision caused the cart to roll numerous times before coming to a stop, throwing it nearly 100 yards.
As indicated by the report, there was “a huge accident scene with a golf truck on its side and a few casualties laying among the destruction.”
Lisa realized she had been deceived into thinking her daughter had been taken to the hospital when she learned that Samantha’s body had been discovered at the crash site.
Samantha, still in her wedding dress, was pronounced dead at the scene while Aric was transported to the hospital with broken bones and brain injuries. Another passenger sustained critical injuries, but the other passenger is said to be stable.
Komoroski admitted to officers that she had only consumed one beer and one tequila an hour prior, according to the police report.
She should have been set up, as indicated by the police, since she was “exceptionally unstable” and may have tumbled to the ground. On a scale from one to ten, Komoroski received an “eight,” but when she was asked to take a field sobriety test, “she strongly refused and became uncooperative.” She also declined to provide a breath sample at the police station; however, a warrant was issued for two blood vials, and the results are still pending.
Komoroski is charged with three counts of reckless vehicular homicide and drunk driving that resulted in death. She faces a jail sentence of one to 25 years on each DUI allegation.
Komoroski, who has a history of speeding-related offenses, is currently under suicide watch after telling investigators she wanted to die.
Aric’s mother, Annette Hutchinson, started one of two GoFundMe campaigns to help pay for Samantha’s funeral and medical bills for her son Brogan, her son-in-law Benjamin, and grandson.
Aric’s condition is critical and will require extensive rehabilitation. In addition to having a brain injury, several fractured bones, and one of two reconstruction procedures, he also has a brain injury.
Ben experienced significant wounds, likewise with Brogan. She says, “I was given Aric’s wedding band in a plastic bag at the hospital,” five hours after Sam put the ring on Aric’s finger and they said their vows. Aric has lost the love of his life. On Wednesday, this campaign reached its $100,000 goal and raised approximately $600,000.
Mandi, Samantha’s sister, started the other GoFundMe to help the family. To date, it has raised approximately $37,000 out of its $10,000 goal.
Mandi writes that Samantha was brave, and that is exactly how she spent her final day of life. She was eager to start her life with Aric. She was uneasy and hesitant-free that day. On the beach, you could feel the love.
It’s terrible that it came to an abrupt end because it was supposed to be their first day of life. We are so sorry for Aric and their families because Samantha Miller was such a lovely young woman.
