The husband of a newlywed bride who was killed by a drunk driver was seen for the first time since the crash at a memorial near the beach where she was killed.
Aric Hutchinson and his wife Samantha, 36, had celebrated their nuptials moments before they were rear ended on April 28th in Folly Beach, South Carolina.
Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, allegedly crashed her car into the golf buggy carrying the bride and groom, causing it to be thrown 100 yards and flip over several times – killing Hutchinson and seriously injuring her new husband.
Speaking for the first time since the incident at a celebration of his wife’s life on Saturday, Aric told WSOC: ‘She would’ve loved it. This is Sam, she’s a beach girl, through and through.
‘We do walk here almost every morning, and this is her send off for sure. She’s up there smiling for sure.’
Newlyweds Miller and Hutchinson were pictured beaming as they celebrated their wedding at Folly Beach on April 28
Pictured: Aric with a bandaged leg over the weekend with family and friends as they celebrate the life of his late wife
A number of those who celebrate to gather her life also had a memorial surfer paddle out on the beach
Charleston County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Miller died on scene from blunt force injuries sustained in the crash. The couple are pictured together here
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.’
Heartbreaking pictures showed the happy couple moments before tragedy struck, beaming as they were waved off by their guests with sparklers.
Driving a rented Toyota Camry, Komoroski was driving at 65mph in a 25mph zone, along a poorly-lit residential street when the fatal crash happened.
Komoroski’s blood alcohol content at the time of the incident was 0.261 at the time of the incident.
Komoroski 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, the New York Post reported.
Aric Hutchinson at the memorial for his wife, Sam, at Folly Beach in South Carolina on Saturday
Aric had to undergo reconstructive surgery before he was eventually released earlier this week
Hutchinson (right) was left with ‘two broken legs, one which had to be surgically repaired
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
Jamie Lee Komoroski’s wrecked sedan, which ABC4 reported has pieces of Samantha Hutchinson’s wedding dress embedded in its bumper
The couple had married at Folly Beach in South Carolina just before the crash
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 suffered multiple injuries including two broken legs and was released from hospital to recover at home last week.
Aric’s mom Annette, previously said: ‘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. Aric has lost the love of his life.
‘We are missing Sam more than anything, she was everything to my son and changed him for the better.’
‘She could light up a room with her presence and had an ease about her. They shared many hopes and dreams for their future including children and building a house.’
Last week, the mother of Samantha Lisa Miller told Fox News: ‘It wasn’t an accident, this person chose to drink, get behind the wheel and plow down my daughter. It is senseless.
‘This was a conscious choice that a young lady made to get behind the wheel.’
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.
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.
Those who gathered on the South Carolina beach also left red flowers in memory of Samantha
Samantha and Aric are pictured on Folly Beach, hours before the crash that would kill the bride and seriously injure her husband
The couple had been celebrating their wedding when the incident happened
The 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.
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.
A GoFundMe page for the burial and medical costs has now reached over $720,000.
