This month, headlines have been dominated by the tragic disaster in which a wife was killed on their wedding day when she was struck by a drunk driver.
25-year-old Jamie Komoroski is allegedly responsible for the fatal crash.
Which took the life of Samantha Hutchinson and injured 3 others.
This comes after the groom, together with his wife’s relatives, had to begin the heartbreaking work of preparing his wife’s funeral.
Read on for the full story.
Samantha Miller, 34, died just hours after her wedding.
Leaving behind her husband Aric Hutchinson.
Aric has also sustained horrific injuries.
The pair were leaving their reception in South Carolina in a decorated golf cart.
When another cart hit them.
This second cart was reportedly going at twice the speed limit.
Miller’s cart was flipped over several times, and thrown many yards.
Hutchison suffered broken bones and a brain injury.
Police say 25-year-old Jamie Lee Komoroski was the driver of the other cart.
Andrew Gilreath, public safety director for the Folly Beach area said she was driving at 65mph in a 25mph zone.
The groom’s mother created a Go Fund Me Page.
She’s raised over $40,000 to pay for her daughter-in-law’s funeral and her son’s medical bills.
“Samantha was killed instantly,” she wrote.
“Garrett, Brogan and Aric were transferred to a hospital where they are recovering. Aric now has to continue on without the love of his life.”
“Sam Miller was pure love. There isn’t and won’t be another person on this planet that shined the way she did.”
“She was loud. Not with her voice but with her heart. She could make anyone, anywhere smile ear to ear, probably with a vulgar joke.”
“She made the uncomfortable comfortable and brought peace, confidence, and laughter to everyone around her.”
“Love at first sight wasn’t just possible with her, it was a given. Her smile would make you fall in love in an instant.”
“She was the one person everyone knew would never ever give up on them. She was unbelievably special.”
“Samantha was fearless and that’s exactly how she spent the last day of her life. She was so excited to start her life with Aric. She had no nerves or hesitation that day. You could feel the love on the beach.”
“But she was more than just a bride. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend to all, a mother to two cats. She was a beautiful person, inside and out, who just wanted to make the people around her smile.”
“Please donate whatever you can give to our family. We are going through unimaginable pain and need all of the help we can get.”
Komoroski was detained and charged with three counts of felony DUI causing severe bodily harm or death.
Plus one count of reckless homicide.
Miller’s sister Mandi Jenkins also spoke to KTSM about the tragedy.
“Thirty-four, wants to be a mom.”
“And she can’t.”
“My sister, a daughter, a wife, died in her wedding dress because someone made a terrible decision to get in the car.”
Samantha’s husband Aric has now returned home from hospital.
An update to Aric’s GoFundMe reads: “From the accident Aric received multiple injuries including two broken legs, one which had to be surgically repaired.”
“Broken bones in his face which also had to be surgically repaired.”
“Broken vertebrae in his back, brain bleeds, and numerous cuts with stitches.”
“He is physically recovering at home while trying to come to terms with the loss of his beautiful wife.”
“Now he is doing the unimaginable of planning Sam’s funeral along with her family.”
Since the devastating story hit headlines, Jamie Komoroski’s lawyers have spoken out to defend the driver.
As the matter is still pending, her attorneys have now urged the public not to “rush to judgement,” stating that “all facts will come to light” in court.
In a recent statement, attorneys Nathan S. Williams and Christopher S. Gramiccioni said: “We cannot fathom what the families are going through and offer our deepest sympathies.
“We simply ask that there not be 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.”
Since then, Hutchinson has filed a lawsuit on May 17 against Komoroski, and the bars that served her alcohol.
Attorneys said: “The tragedy has shattered the entire family, beyond just the individuals named in the lawsuit.”
Hutchinson’s attorney, Danny Dalton, stated that there are still ongoing investigations into the circumstances leading up to the crash.
“There are still many details we don’t know about the sequence of events leading up to the tragic crash, but by filing a lawsuit, we can begin the legal discovery process that allows us to get the answers that Samantha’s family deserves,” Dalton said.
“We hope that the bars will cooperate with us and provide whatever they have. I would think that given the tragic nature of this case, they would want to own up to whatever happened or didn’t happen for that matter.”
Hutchinson and the other two affected family members are still recovering from the collision, according to Dalton.
“You go from the happiest moment of your life to an unfathomable tragedy,” he said.
“They are all recovering physically and emotionally. As you can imagine the groom is doing okay. He has a wonderful tight-knit family from both on his side and his late wife’s side.”
Since then, Aric opened up about the moment he learned his wife had died.
Speaking to ABC news, Aric said: “I do remember the last thing I remember her saying was she wanted the night to never end.
“[After the crash] I remember waking up, just kinda foggy, out of sorts, and I could see my mom’s face and you could just tell something was wrong, and I asked her ‘Where’s Sam, where’s Sam?’
“That’s when she told me, [there was an] incident, and that Sam didn’t make it.”
When asked if he had any words for Komoroski, he said: “No, I can’t right now.
“She stole something… she stole an amazing human being that should not have been taken.”
Aric is now focusing on his recuperation while making an effort to preserve the wonderful memories of his time spent with Sam.
He has returned to the flat they formerly shared, and has said he can still feel her presence there.
“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.”
Jamie’s lawyers have spoken out.
They’ve slammed the way Jamie has been portrayed as a ‘villain’ following the accident.
They’ve filed a motion, seen by ABC News, which reads:
“Certain media reports paint a picture of the accused as an unrepentant villain who ostensibly had a history of partying behavior, extrapolated from handpicked photographs posted to social accounts appearing to depict the accused attending a Halloween party or socializing with friends while in college.”
It goes on:
“As this court is aware, such characterizations of the accused serve only to inflame public sentiment and remain irrelevant to the determination as to whether Ms. Komoroski poses a flight risk or any danger to the community.”
And now, recordings from Jamie’s phone calls from inside have been obtained.
The Post and Courier have obtained the recordings.
In one call to her parents, she’s heard saying: “I can’t believe this is my life… and my whole life is going to be over.”
“Oh, my God. I just can’t believe this happened to me… Why me?… I’m going to be here for years and years and years and years.”
In another, to her friends, she spoke out about her predicament.
“There’s been people that have, like, killed people on purpose before and, like, they’ve gotten out on a bond,” she explained.
“It was just like a freak accident … obviously, I didn’t mean it to happen. I just feel like a terrible person, like, I didn’t mean for any of that to happen.”
“Please don’t be stupid like I was because all it takes is one time.”
In another video call with her parents, she says: “I’m just so confused, like, why this would happen to me.”
“I just pray and hope that the judge understands how regretful and remorseful I am and that I’m not a bad person, and that I’ll never do anything bad again.”
Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones during this unimaginable tragedy.
Rest in peace.