The mother of the bride had just unwound with a change of clothes and a glass of wine on her short-term rental’s balcony when the sound of sirens gave the first impression that her daughter’s wedding night had gone awry.
Within minutes, Lisa Miller was riding with her new in-laws to the South Carolina beach road where authorities say a woman driving under the influence at twice the speed limit slammed into the golf cart escorting a happy couple away from their sparkler-filled goodbye at a reception overlooking the Atlantic shoreline.
A day that had begun blissfully with charcuterie and mimosas along the beach ended with hours spent in agony outside a hospital where she had wrongly been told her daughter had been taken. Then, Lisa Miller said she learned that the bride’s father had identified the body back at the crash site.
Samantha Miller, 34, died in Folly Beach, South Carolina, while still wearing her wedding dress. The groom, Aric Hutchinson, is recovering from a brain injury and numerous broken bones after the golf cart was thrown 100 yards. Two other occupants also reportedly suffered injuries of varying severity.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native was remembered as a positive person who sought to take care of everyone in her presence.
Lisa Miller and her daughter, Mandi Jenkins, are now urging drivers to reconsider how a split-second decision to take the wheel while drunk may have lasting consequences for a “real family” like theirs. She pointed inebriated ride seekers towards apps like Uber or Lyft.
Jamie Komoroski, 25, has been charged with reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing death or great bodily injury. She told the responding officer that she had consumed one beer and a drink with tequila about an hour before the crash, according to an affidavit obtained by The Associated Press.
She grew uncooperative after refusing to complete a sobriety test, according to the affidavit, and the officer had to help her stand. The officer then reported getting a warrant for two vials of blood after she refused to provide a breath sample at the station.
