The legal aftermath has carried into 2025.

April 28, 2023, should have been the beginning of a beautiful life together for Aric Hutchinson and Samantha Miller. The newlyweds danced under the stars near the Atlantic shoreline, celebrating their wedding on Folly Beach, South Carolina.

“I wish this night could go on forever,” Samantha told her mother Lisa. “The best night of her life.”

**A Joyful Night Turned Tragic**

After leaving their reception through a canopy of sparklers, the couple climbed into a street-legal golf cart with Aric’s relatives. They were just two blocks from their accommodation when disaster struck.

Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, slammed her rental Toyota into the back of their cart at 65 mph in a 25 mph zone. The impact sent the vehicle tumbling 100 yards. Still wearing her wedding dress, 34-year-old Samantha was pronounced dead at the scene. Aric suffered broken bones and a traumatic brain injury.

“She literally ran into my daughter going 65 miles an hour,” Lisa said, devastated.

**The Aftermath**

Komoroski, who smelled strongly of alcohol and rated her own impairment as “eight out of ten,” refused field sobriety tests. Her blood alcohol level was 0.261%—more than three times the legal limit.

Aric faced a long, painful recovery—multiple surgeries, severe injuries, stomach ulcers, and over 20 pounds of weight loss. His mother received his wedding ring in a plastic bag just five hours after Samantha had placed it on his finger.

**Justice Served**

In December 2024, Komoroski was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony DUI and reckless homicide. Though she expressed remorse, Aric acknowledged the irreversible loss: “Sam’s not here, my wife’s not here, the family we planned.”

Her attorneys recently filed for a reduced sentence, but prosecutors argue the punishment was appropriate and should stand.

What should have been their first day as husband and wife became an unimaginable tragedy.