Samantha Miller and Aric Hutchinson: GoFundMe crosses $400k after wedding day tragedy
FOLLY BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA: Donations have continued to pour in after the horrific crash that killed a bride and severely injured her groom and two others just hours after their wedding in Folly Beach. The crash took place on Friday, April 28, around 10 pm when a speeding vehicle rear-ended a golf cart in the 1200 block of East Ashley Avenue, Folly Beach Police Chief Andrew Gilreath said.
Samantha Miller, who was killed in the crash, had just tied the knot with her husband Aric Hutchinson earlier in the evening. The occupants of the golf cart were reportedly struck while taking the newlywed couple back to their rental home. A GoFundMe created by the mother of the groom listed a goal of $100,000 to help pay for Samantha’s burial and cover medical expenses for Aric and his family. However, the page has raised more than $404,000 at the time of publication - over four times its original goal.
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A doomed wedding
“I was handed Aric’s wedding ring in a plastic bag at the hospital, five hours after Sam placed it on his finger and they read each other their vows,” Annette Hutchinson wrote on the fundraising page. “Aric has lost the love of his life.” Miller, 34, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died at the scene from blunt force injuries sustained in the crash involving what police called a Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV) and another vehicle.
Annette said her son-in-law, and grandson were escorting the couple from the wedding reception in a golf cart on Friday when they were struck from behind, causing the LSV to travel over 100 yards and roll several times. Police subsequently established that one person was killed and the other three occupants were severely injured. Annette said her son has undergone one of two reconstruction surgeries and is suffering from multiple broken bones and a brain injury. This matched information divulged by the Folly Beach Police Department (FBPD), which said a vehicle rear-ended the LSV around 10 pm on the 1200 block of East Ashley Avenue.
Suspect identified
Police said the vehicle was driven by 25-year-old Jamie Lee Komoroski, who was reportedly the sole occupant, while the LSV had four occupants. Komoroski is charged with three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm/death and one count of reckless homicide. An investigation into the incident later established that she was driving at over 65 mph when she struck the bridal party.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and family members involved in this senseless loss,” police chief Gilreath said in a statement. “It is yet again another reminder of the tragedy that often follows the selfish and reckless decision to operate vehicles at high speeds and/or under the influence of alcohol/drugs.” Annette noted in the GoFundMe that the money raised will be spent on the bride’s burial and medical costs for her son and his family. The page had more than quadrupled its $100,000 goal to over $404,000 as of Tuesday morning, May 2, ABC Columbia reported.