FOLLY BEACH, SC — A South Carolina groom whose bride was killed on their wedding day by an alleged drunk driver was sharing his story for the first time.
On the night of April 28, a golf cart carrying four people was struck from behind by an alleged drunk driver near Charleston, South Carolina, killing 34-year-old Samantha Miller and critically injuring her new husband, Aric Hutchinson, and two others. The couple had just celebrated their wedding earlier that day.
“Sam’s just got that glow. She’s the type that walks in a room, and you notice,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson spoke to “Good Morning America” in his first interview since the tragic accident that killed his wife, sharing how he’s coping with the immense loss after what he said had been a perfect day.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. That night, going from an all-time high to an all-time low, it’s pretty rough to try to comprehend,” Hutchinson said.
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He said the couple had been surrounded by friends and family who had traveled from all over the country.
“She was so happy. I mean, planning a wedding, as most people know, is extremely stressful. And she just had a weird, like, calmness that night,” said Hutchinson, who added that the wedding and reception were one of the best nights of his life.
According to a GoFundMe set up by Hutchinson’s mother, Hutchinson broke both legs, parts of his face and his back, and suffered brain bleeds and numerous cuts in the accident. The two others in the golf cart with Hutchinson and Miller suffered injuries including severe road rash and open wounds, according to Charleston ABC affiliate WCIV.
Aric Hutchinson kisses Samantha Miller in an undated photo. (Courtesy Aric Hutchinson)
Hutchinson said he doesn’t remember the crash but remembers the last thing his wife told him.
“I do remember the last thing I remember her saying was she wanted the night to never end,” said Hutchinson, who said the next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital room, asking “Where’s Sam?”
“That’s when (my mother) told me there’s an incident and that Sam didn’t make it,” he added.
The driver of the vehicle that struck the golf cart, Jamie Komoroski, 25, was arrested and charged with three counts of DUI causing serious bodily injury/death and one count of reckless homicide. Komoroski was allegedly driving 65 mph in a 25 mph zone when the crash happened, according to a police report released by the Folly Beach Department of Public Safety. According to the toxicology report, Komoroski’s blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.
An attorney for Komoroski shared a statement after her arrest, saying: “We cannot fathom what the families are going through and offer our deepest sympathies. We simply ask that there is not a rush to judgment. Our court system is founded upon principles of justice and mercy and that is where all facts will come to light.”
On Wednesday, Hutchinson filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Komoroski and several local bars and restaurants where he allegedly drank the night of the crash. Komoroski’s employer and supervisor were also named in the lawsuit and are accused of “pressuring” her to attend a function and consume “excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages” the night of the accident, according to the lawsuit.
Komoroski’s employer said in a statement there was not an “officially organized employee function around drinking” and Komoroski had just started training for the job.
Hutchinson said he’s not ready to address Komoroski at this time.
“I can’t right now,” he said. “I’d like to. I mean, she stole an amazing human being that shouldn’t have been taken.”
For now, he said he’s focused on his recovery and trying to hold on to his happy memories with Sam. He moved back into the third-floor apartment the two shared, and he said he could still feel her presence.
“It’s hard, but it’s also nice. It’s got Sam written all over the house,” he said. “I know she’s up there watching, just laughing at me trying to get up and down these stairs because it was her decision to go to the third floor.”
