A heartbroken groom whose bride was killed by a drunk driver on their wedding night has spoken for the first time about the devastating incident and the heartbreaking moment he was told his new wife had been killed.
Aric Hutchinson, 36, is recovering from his injuries after his wife Samantha Hutchinson, 34, was killed on April 28 following their wedding at Folly Beach, South Carolina.
Drunk driver Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, was allegedly going 65mph in a 25mph zone when she crashed into the back of the golf buggy the couple was riding in.
Aric was left with serious injuries and had two reconstruction surgeries, as well as suffering numerous broken bones and a brain injury.
Speaking for the first time about the incident, Aric wept as he told Good Morning America: ‘She stole an amazing human being that should not have been taken.
‘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 comprehend.
‘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.
‘Sam’s just got that glow. She’s the type to walk in the room and you’d just notice.
Teary Aric revealed the last words his wife said to him, and said that she ‘had a glow’ when she entered a room
Aric Hutchinson, 36, is recovering from his injuries after his wife Samantha Hutchinson, 34, was killed on April 28 following their wedding at Folly Beach, South Carolina
Samantha and Aric Hutchinson are pictured during their wedding ceremony in Folly Beach, South Carolina. Samantha was killed shortly after the photo was taken
‘We had family friends from all over the country everywhere there and everyone was just so happy she was so happy. It was one of the best nights of my life.
‘I don’t’ remember the crash happening. I wish I did. I do remember the last thing I heard her saying was she wanted the night to never end.
‘I remember waking up foggy and out of sorts and you could see my Mom’s face and you could tell that something was wrong.
‘I asked her where’s Sam, and then that’s when she told me there’s an incident and that Sam didn’t make it.’
He added that it was ‘nice’ to be back in the home they shared because ‘it’s got Sam written all over the house so it’s nice to be here and have good memories.’
Sam and Aric were being escorted by his brother-in-law Ben Garrett and nephew Brogan when they were allegedly hit by Komoroski. Ben was also seriously injured.
Aric filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Wednesday against Komoroski, seeking unspecified damages from the driver and the bars that served her.
Her blood alcohol content was 0.261 – more than three times the limit – and she was uncooperative with authorities when she was arrested.
Speaking for the first time about the incident, a teary Aric told Good Morning America: ‘She stole an amazing human being that should not have been taken
He told GMA: ‘Sam’s just got that glow. She’s the type to walk in the room and you’d just notice’
He added that it was ‘nice’ to be back in the home they shared because ‘it’s got Sam written all over the house so it’s nice to be here and have good memories’
A new image from a police report shows the mangled golf cart after Komoroski allegedly plowed into it at 65mph
In his case, filed on Wednesday in Charleston, Aric Hutchinson alleged that Komoroski ‘bar hopped’ before getting behind the wheel.
He is also suing the five bars she’s accused of visiting, claiming they served Komoroski alcohol even though she was visibly drunk.
Komoroski was a new employee of Taco Boy, and her supervisor is accused in the suit of ‘organizing, arranging, and supervising an employee function knowing that excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages would be purchased for, served to, and consumed by the employees attending the function.’
According to the suit, Komoroski started drinking at El Gallo Bar and Grill near Daniel Island.
She then traveled to Folly Beach, where she began bar hopping down Center Street – including the Drop In, The Crab Shack, and Snapper Jack.
Hutchinson’s lawyers argued that the bars where she drank have ‘a duty of care not to allow patrons to become intoxicated, to not serve alcohol to intoxicated persons.’
Komoroski smashed into the golf cart that was taking the bride and groom and several others to their Airbnb.
The mangled buggy rolled multiple times as it was thrown 100 yards by Komoroski’s Toyota Camry.
She reportedly told responding officers in the wake of the crash: ‘All of a sudden something hit me. I did nothing wrong.’
Komoroski is said to have admitted having two drinks an hour before the smash: a beer and a tequila pineapple cocktail.
Sgt. Zac Halpern of Folly Beach police reported that he asked Komoroski how drunk she was on a scale of one to 10, and she mumbled that she was at an eight before demanding a lawyer.
Jamie Komoroski, 25, has been charged with three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm or death and one count of reckless homicide
Aric has had two reconstruction surgeries and is set to have another, as well as suffering numerous broken bones and a brain injury
The newlyweds were traveling on the back of the cart, just two blocks from their home, when Komoroski rear-ended them while going 65mph in a 25mph zone
The couple are surrounded by family members on April 28 on Folly Beach, South Carolina
Folly Beach Police Department confirmed that the incident took place at around 10pm, on the 1200 block of East Ashley Avenue
Officers responding to the scene tried to administer a sobriety test, but she refused, yelling for her boyfriend.
Police noted that she appeared to try to hide her eyes from them.
Komoroski was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was charged with three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm or death and one count of reckless homicide.
A wheelchair-bound Aric attended a memorial that was held for Samantha last weekend at the beach were the pair married.
‘She would’ve loved it. This is Sam, she’s a beach girl, through and through,’ the widower said.
‘We do walk here almost every morning, and this is her send off for sure. She’s up there smiling for sure.’
Aric continued: ‘I’m feeling pretty good. My body’s getting back to where I can manage.
‘It’s a little overwhelming, they’re sincere, genuine, good-hearted people that are just reaching out that felt a reason to, or somehow they were touched by Sam.
‘It just means the world. She left that impact.’
Ben Garrett also had to undergo plastic surgery after suffering severe road rash and open wounds on his face
Pictured: Hutchinson (right) touches knuckles with his cousin Ben Garrett (left) who was also involved in the incident, and left needing a skin graft and unable to put weight on his legs
The low-speed vehicle Samantha and Aric were riding in. Its broken seat and shattered wheel axles give an idea as to the force of the deadly smash
Officers on the scene wrote in arrest documents that they were unsure if the groom would ‘make it through the night’ following the crash which killed Sam (left)
Crowds of people gathered to pay their respects on the beach as surfers paddled out and threw flowers with her name on the stem into the ocean.
The bride’s mom and sister have since spoken out about how Samantha was having the happiest day of her life hours before her tragic death, and shared poignant snaps of her enjoying life as a newlywed hours before she was killed.
Komoroski, a logistics account executive, remains in custody at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center and is set to appear in court in connection with the incident in June.
Pictured: Samantha being walked down the aisle on her wedding day
A photo from the couple’s wedding shows them sharing a piece of their wedding cake
Sam and Aric were described as the ‘perfect couple’ by their friends and family who attended the wedding
She could face up to 25 years in prison for the death of the bride, as well of a fine of up to $25,100, and an additional 15 years and $10,100 for the serious injury caused to the men in the buggy.
For the reckless homicide she could be handed a sentence of 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5,000 – as well as having her license revoked for five years on her release.
Komoroski was first charged with speeding on 31 May 2018 in Horry County, South Carolina – home of Myrtle Beach and Coastal Carolina University, where Komoroski attended school.
She was accused of speeding less than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, to which she pleaded guilty and paid a $76.50 fine.
Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, is currently in Charleston County jail after the killer crash. Pictured: Dressed as a bride for a college event
Later that year, Komoroski pleaded guilty to a count of driving a vehicle at a speed that is unreasonable road conditions. She was arrested in November during a rare freeze warning in the popular tourist area.
In 2019, Komoroski was again charged with speeding 10mph or less over the speed limit, to which she again pleaded guilty and paid another $76.50.
More recently, she was cited for failure to use a turn signal or stop signal, to which she pleaded guilty on April 5, 2023, and paid a $25 fine.
A GoFundMe page for the burial and medical costs has now reached over $720,000.