By Chantal Da Silva -
NBC News
A woman driving drunk or drugged and going twice the speed limit rear-ended the golf cart of a newlywed couple leaving their wedding celebration, killing the bride and seriously injuring the groom, according to the police. authorities in Folly Beach, a coastal town in South Carolina.
Samantha Miller, 34, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died in the crash Friday night, just hours after getting married, said Andrew Gilreath, director of the local Department of Public Safety, according to The Associated Press. .
The other three occupants of the golf cart, including the boyfriend, were injured.
The small vehicle had lights, Gilreath added, and is legally allowed to be used at night.
Samantha Miller and Aric Hutchinson. via WCBD
The groom, Aric Hutchinson, was hospitalized with serious injuries, including a brain injury and broken bones, his mother, Annette Hutchinson, said in a post on the GoFundMe page to raise money for medical expenses and funeral services.
“I was given Aric's wedding ring in a plastic bag at the hospital, five hours after Sam put it on his finger and their wedding vows were read.
Aric has lost the love of his life,” Hutchinson wrote on the website.
The woman said her son, who underwent reconstruction surgery for injuries from the accident, faces a "long recovery."
As of Tuesday morning, they had received more than $385,300 in donations to the GoFundMe page to help families.
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The suspect, who was driving a rental car, was identified as 25-year-old Jamie Lee Komoroski.
He was driving 65 miles per hour and slowed down only slightly before colliding with the golf cart around 10 p.m. local time, according to investigators.
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Komoroski was charged with one count of reckless manslaughter and three felony counts of driving drunk or drugged resulting in severe injury, according to case records.
Miller's death sparked a series of messages honoring her from those who knew her.
“Words cannot express how devastated we are by the loss of her,” her employer, XenTegra, a Huntersville, North Carolina consulting firm, said in a statement.
Miller had been with the company since 2020 and worked in the marketing department.
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“She gave off a light that illuminated everyone she interacted with.
Simply put, Samantha brought so much joy and laughter to the workplace,” she said, “we will always remember Samantha's smile, her laugh, and her dedication to her work, her friends and her family.”
