IT’S NOT WORTH IT: Brittany Aldean warns against drunk driving as she mourns classmate Samantha Miller
FOLLY BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA: Country star Jason Aldean's wife, Brittany Aldean, has spoken out against drunk driving after learning that her former clasmate, Samantha Miller, was killed by an alleged drunk driver. The tragedy befell just minutes after Samantha and her husband, Aric Hutchinson, left their wedding reception on April 28.
The newlyweds were just getting ready to start their married lives together following their Folly Beach ceremony when things took an ugly turn. Aric's mother, Annette Hutchison, revealed in a GoFundMe campaign how her son was fighting for his life while hospitalized in critical condition and “has had one of two reconstruction surgeries, numerous broken bones, and a brain injury.”
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Samantha Miller and Aric Hutchinson: GoFundMe crosses $400k after wedding day tragedy
“On what should’ve been one of the happiest days of their lives, they were hit by a drunk driver immediately following their wedding reception. Samantha passed away and her husband is now fighting for his life. I went to school with Sam, and she was such a bright light. Always sweet, happy and such a joy to be around,” Aldean wrote on her Instagram story Tuesday, May 2. “This news is absolutely heartbreaking. Every prayer for their families are needed during this horrific time.”
Linking the family's GoFundMe page on her story, Aldean emphasized the dangers of taking the wheel while under the influence. She concluded by encouraging those drinking to take other means of transportation that will keep them and those around them safe. "There is no need to drink and drive," she wrote. "We have so many options these days. Uber, Lyft, taxis, friends, family. IT’S NOT WORTH IT. Not only can you ruin your life, but you put so many others at risk. Please think," she added.
Devastated family members spoke out about their horror in the aftermath of the tragedy. Sam’s sister, Mani Jenkins, shared a heartbreaking statement with NBC News, which was later aired in a segment on the 'Today' show. “A sister, a daughter, a wife, died in her wedding dress because someone made a terrible decision,” she said. “From the moment she woke up that day until she left the venue, she told Eric on the golf cart that she wanted this day to last forever. He told us that at the hospital when we saw him," Jenkins added.
As newlyweds were being escorted in a golf cart following their wedding reception in South Carolina, 34-year-old bride Samantha Miller was killed by an alleged drunk driver traveling 65 miles per hour. @stephgosk on the latest. pic.twitter.com/Ol31GqtL2F
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 2, 2023
This came after Annette Hutchison dilvulged details about the incident on the family's GoFundMe, which has crosed $500,000. She explained how her son-in-law, Benjamin Garrett, and grandson, Brogan Garrett, were driving the golf cart at the time of the incident and also sustained injuries. She noted that the drunk driver was traveling 65 MPH in a 25 MPH zone causing the golf cart to be “thrown over 100 yards and rolled several times.”
This was corroborated by police, who identified the alleged DUI suspect as Jamie Lee Komoroski and said she had been charged with one count of reckless homicide and three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm. “Her blood draw results are pending. An investigation into the crash determined she was going 65 mph at the time she struck the cart,” police told local Charleston outlet WYFF.