A 26-year-old woman pleadedguiltyto charges stemming from afatalApril 2023drunk-drivingcrash in South Carolina,USA, thatkilledabrideon her wedding day and injured the groom. Driving three times over the legal alcohol limit at 65 mph (105 km/h) in a 25-mph zone (40 km/h),Jamie Lee Komoroskistruck a golf cart carrying the couple, killing brideSamantha Millerinstantly.
HighlightsKomoroski sentenced to 25 years for killing bride in drunk driving crash.Bride Samantha Miller died on wedding day; groom seriously injured.Komoroski’s blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.
Komoroski, from South Carolina, pleaded guilty todriving drunkand slamming into a golf cart, killing Miller on her wedding night, and seriously injuring her husband, Aric Hutchinson.
Komoroski reportedly pleaded guilty to all charges, including reckless vehicular homicide charges and multiple counts of felony DUI with bodily injury anddeath.
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A 26-year-old woman pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a fatal April 2023 drunk-driving crash in South Carolina, USA
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A DUI stands for “driving under the influence”. It’s a criminal offense that occurs when someone operates a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol ordrugs.
This means that Komoroski’s 50-year sentence will include the time she has already spent in custody—approximately 580 days—toward the total length of her sentence.
Judge Deadre Jefferson sentenced Komoroski to 25 years for reckless homicide, 15 years for the two counts of DUI involving great bodily injury, and 10 years for the felony DUI charge,ABC News 4reported on Tuesday (December 3).
The sentences are concurrent, meaning Komoroski will spend 25 years in prison, Jefferson said.
In addition to driving 65 mph in a 25 mph, investigators reportedly said Komoroski had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit when she plowed into the newlyweds moments after their wedding reception on April 28, 2023, in Folly Beach, South Carolina.
The crash killed a bride on her wedding day and injured the groom
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In South Carolina, the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving is 0.08% for drivers aged 21 and older,The Bateman Law Firmexplains.
Driving with a BAC above this limit is considered DUI, which carries severe penalties including fines, license suspension, and possible jail time.
For drivers under 21, the limit is 0.02%, reflecting the state’s zero-tolerance policy for underage drinking and driving.
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Miller’s mother, Lisa Miller, reportedly described hearing sirens and yelling, “Something happened to Sam.”
Driving three times over the legal alcohol limit at 65 mph in a 25-mph zone, Jamie Lee Komoroski struck a golf cart carrying the couple
Grieving groom and now widow Hutchinson was the last victim to share an impact statement. He tearfully said: “I have been thinking about what to say since that night, what do you say when your world has been shattered?
“Physically I’m in pain every day … it’s a struggle to get through every day. My world will be forever changed from what happened that night, I think about that night every single day and the last moment I had with Sam on the golf cart.
“On the golf cart, she told me she didn’t want the night to end and I kissed her on the forehead and then the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.”
He continued: “I see my mum’s face, she’s still wearing the wedding dress from the night before, and I knew instantly. That’s why I asked, ‘Where’s Sam?’ I knew she wasn’t there.”
Hutchinson spoke through tears as he admitted he wished he died that night so his new wife did not have to leave this world alone,7 Newsreported on Tuesday.
“I wish I saw you coming,” the survivor further revealed. “I’d have jumped off the golf cart so that you’d only have run me over. We did not get hit, we got ran through at 65mph (104km/h).”
Groom Aric Hutchinson was left seriously injured
He added: “There is no way any three of us should be alive, all four of us should have died that night.
“I’m a firm believer that Sam saved us, that’s who she is, and she would’ve taken one for all of us and said, ‘Take me and save these guys.’
“The guilt with that that I live with every single second of every day is unbearable. You took the greatest human being I have ever met, she’s not coming back, she’s gone.
“She was my world and I’d give anything for one second to hold her again.”
Image credits:WCNC
The offender said in court: “I want them to know how sorry I am for the bottom of my heart and that I take full responsibility for my actions.
“I will always be devastated, deeply ashamed, and terribly sorry for what I have done.”
Bride Samantha Miller died instantly
In April last year, Hutchinson and Miller were departing their wedding reception in South Carolina, when a Komoroski driving a Toyota Camry collided with their small golf cart.
The fatal accident left Hutchinson in urgent need of medical treatment after enduring many broken bones and even injuries to his brain.
In a tragic turn of events, Miller didn’t survive the blow,Bored Pandapreviously reported.
As Hutchinson had assumed control of Miller’s estate, a legal dispute spiraled out of control, as Hutchinson and Miller’s mum, Lisa Miller, went to court over the 34-year-old’s estate.
L. Miller filed to remove Hutchinson as Miller’s estate representative, citing allegations of fraud and conflict of interest.
She also sought to block Hutchinson’s wrongful death lawsuit against bars that served Komoroski.
Other survivors of the crash spoke about the pain and suffering they experienced that night
The ill-fated couple wed in Folly Beach on April 28, and a Charleston County probate judge recognized the validity of their marriage on May 1 — while Hutchinson was still in a hospital recovering from injuries he sustained in the drunk driving collision.
The form also stated the couple had been living together post-wedding, which was impossible as Miller had died and Hutchinson was hospitalized.
Hutchinson’s legal team acknowledged the inaccuracies but dismissed them as irrelevant distractions from the validity of the marriage.
“Glad to hear justice prevailed,” a reader commented
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