When the newlyweds were leaving their wedding reception in South Carolina on Friday, the bride was killed and the groom was critically injured when the golf cart they were riding in was rear-ended by a woman who authorities said was driving under the influence.
According to WSOC-TV, one of the four people riding in the golf cart was Samantha “Sam” Miller Hutchinson, who was 34 years old and from Charlotte, North Carolina. She passed away at the site.
According to WYFF-TV, the groom, Aric Hutchinson, was in serious condition after suffering a head injury in addition to several fractured bones. His mother claims that Aric Hutchinson has already had one reconstructive operation and has another one planned for the near future.
According to the website for the Charleston County Detention Center, Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, was charged with three counts of driving under the influence resulting in death as well as reckless vehicular murder. Komoroski’s age is not specified. She faces a possible sentence of one year up to 25 years in jail for each conviction of DUI.
WCIV-TV said that the findings of an investigation into the accident revealed that Komoroski was speeding at 65 miles per hour when she reportedly hit the wedding party on Folly Island, which is located south of Charleston. According to the Associated Press, the maximum speed allowed on the island is 25 miles per hour.
On a GoFundMe page, Annette Hutchinson, who identified herself as the mother of the groom, stated that her son-in-law and grandson, who had traveled from Utah for the wedding, were escorting the newlyweds on a road in Folly Beach, which is located south of Charleston, at approximately 10 p.m. EDT. Annette Hutchinson said that her son-in-law and grandson had traveled from Utah for the wedding.
The director of the Folly Beach Public Safety Department, Andrew Gilreath, was quoted by the news outlet as saying that the golf cart in question was equipped with lights and could legally be used at night.
According to WCIV’s reporting, law enforcement officers are also referring to the golf cart as a low-speed vehicle (LSV).
On the GoFundMe page that she created, Annette Hutchinson explained that she was trying to raise money to pay for her son’s medical bills as well as her daughter-in-law’s funeral expenses. Already, more than 263,000 dollars have been contributed.
Annette Hutchinson wrote in her journal that “I was handed Aric’s wedding ring in a plastic bag at the hospital, five hours after Sam placed it on his finger and they read each other their vows,” which is how she received the ring after Aric was married. “Aric has been bereft of the only love of his life.”
According to the data available online, Komoroski is still being held without posting bond at the Charleston County Detention Center.
