Devastated groom plans funeral for bride who was killed by drunk driver hours after their wedding

A bride was killed and the groom left in critical condition after the couple was hit by a speeding drunk driver as they left their wedding reception in a golf cart.

Samantha Miller, 34, and Aric Hutchinson, 36, had been celebrating their wedding with friends and family just moments before an alleged drunk driver slammed into the newly-weds at Folly Beach, South Carolina in the US, on 28 April. Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, who has been accused of going more than twice the speed limit, has been charged with reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing great bodily harm.

Samantha died at the scene of the crash, killed instantly from blunt force injuries when the golf cart - which was decorated with a ‘just married’ sign - was thrown 90 metres and flipped several times. Aric was left in critical condition, rushed to hospital with a brain injury, a broken back, two broken legs, and bones broken in his face.

He has since left hospital and is recovering at home. Now, just a fortnight after saying ‘I do’, he is taking on the “unimaginable” task of planning his wife’s funeral.

In a heartbreaking update posted to a GoFundMe page set up for the couple - which has so far raised over $700,000 - Aric’s mother Annette Hutchinson wrote: “What started as the happiest day for Aric and Sam ended with a tragedy … our hearts are broken along with the Millers’. Sam 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.

“Aric is now 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.”

When Annette first set up the fundraiser, she wrote: “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.”

Aric’s brother-in-law Ben Garrett and 17-year-old nephew Brogan were also in the golf cart at the time of the tragic incident, as they had been escorting the newly married couple as they left the reception. Ben was seriously injured and is currently recovering in the burns unit after surgery.

Brogan, according to Annette, only suffered minor injuries. She wrote: “Our hope is that with love and support he can get through the trauma of having been involved in this horrific accident at 17.”

Jamie Lee Komoroski, who police say was at the wheel of the vehicle which hit Aric and Samantha, has been charged with reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing great bodily harm.

Andrew Gilreath, public safety director for the Folly Beach area where the crash took place, said that data retrieved from her rental car indicated she was driving at 65mph in a 25mph zone - and only briefly used the brakes before she hit the golf cart. He added that the golf cart - a six-person, low-speed model with a maximum speed of 25 mph - was legal to drive at night.

You can donate to the fundraiser for Samantha’s funeral and Aric’s medical costs here.