Aric Hutchinson: Grieving groom sues bars for over-serving alcohol to driver Jamie Komoroski who killed his bride
FOLLY BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA: A grieving South Carolina groom, recovering from near-fatal injuries after losing his bride in a wedding day golf cart crash, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the alleged drunk driver. He has also named several restaurants and bars where the driver had been "bar hopping" in the hours leading up to the deadly crash.
Aric Hutchinson, 36, has brought a lawsuit on behalf of his deceased wife, Samantha Miller, 34. He claims that her death might have been avoidable if the "negligent" businesses had not overserved Jamie Komoroski, the person accused of killing Miller on April 28 in Folly Beach, with alcohol, as per court documents reviewed by People.
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'Jamie Komoroski was grossly and dangerously intoxicated'
The lawsuit states that the driver "… began at El Gallo Bar and Grill near Daniel Island … then she made her way to Folly Beach, where she began bar hopping down Center Street, making stops at the Drop-In, The Crab Shack, and Snapper Jacks." "Despite being noticeably and visibly intoxicated at each of these establishments," the lawsuit claims, "Jaime Komoroski continued to be served, provided, and/or allowed to consume alcohol in each of them."
"By the end of the night, Jamie Komoroski was grossly and dangerously intoxicated," alleges the lawsuit. The lawsuit further claims Komoroski had a blood alcohol content of 0.261 percent. The level exceeds the South Carolina legal limit by more than three times. Attorneys claim that Komoroski was given permission to get in her car and drive down East Ashley Avenue, where she allegedly hit the golf cart at 65 mph while supposed to be driving in a 25 mph zone.
Benjamin Garrett and Aric's minor nephew BG listed in the lawsuit
The golf cart rolled several times and mangled with the car in the horrific crash, killing the happiest bride, Miller, still in her wedding dress, moments after she expressed to her husband that she wanted "this day to last forever." Aric's minor nephew, BG, and one other person, Benjamin Garrett, are also listed in the lawsuit. They had been escorting the pair out of the wedding venue when Komoroski hit the golf cart they were on.
'There are still many details we don't know'
"The state grants restaurants and bars a license for the privilege to serve alcohol, and with that privilege comes a responsibility to the community to serve patrons responsibly and to deny service to individuals who are visibly intoxicated," Danny Dalton, the family's attorney, said in a statement. The lawsuit, as per the outlet, states the establishments, "as licensed sellers of beer, wine, and liquor for consumption pursuant to South Carolina law, had a duty to obey all laws and regulations regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages and exercise due care..not to allow patrons to become intoxicated, to not serve alcohol to intoxicated persons."
Dalton said, "There are still many details we don't know about the sequence of events leading up to the tragic crash, but by filing a lawsuit, we can begin the legal discovery process that allows us to get the answers that Samantha's family deserves." Komoroski is charged with one count of reckless homicide and three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm. Komoroski has hired defense attorneys Nathan S Williams and Christopher S Gramiccioni who said "all facts will come to light" in court.