US officials announced on May 1st that a drunk driver had crashed into a golf cart carrying a newlywed couple on a coastal road in South Carolina, resulting in the bride’s death from severe injuries.
Wedding photo of the couple. Photo: GoFundMe.
According to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, 34-year-old Samantha Miller from Charlotte, South Carolina, was killed in the accident. Andrew Gilreath, the Director of Public Safety for Folly Beach, stated that Miller had been married just a few hours before the incident.
Three other people in the golf cart were injured, including the groom, who is currently hospitalized and in critical condition, as reported by The Guardian.
Annette Hutchinson, the groom’s mother, created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for funeral expenses for her daughter-in-law and medical bills for her son.
The post included a photo of the couple on their wedding day just before the accident, as well as a photo of the groom, Aric Hutchinson, in the hospital. He is currently recovering from a traumatic brain injury and broken bones.
Investigators stated that data from the rental car of the suspect, Jamie Lee Komoroski, showed that she was driving at a speed of 105 km/h and only lightly applied the brakes before crashing into the golf cart at 10 pm on April 28th. The speed limit in the area is 40 km/h.
Gilreath confirmed that the golf cart had lights and was permitted to be driven at night.
Komoroski, 25, has been charged with felony DUI resulting in death and three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury. She faces up to 25 years in prison for each charge of DUI resulting in death.
As of May 1st, Komoroski was still in custody at the Charleston County Jail, and it is unclear whether she has legal representation or not.