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The mother of the US bride killed by an alleged drink-driver moments after she was married has revealed the heartbreaking final moments she shared with her daughter of what should have been the happiest day of her life.
Lisa Miller 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, she 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 Hutchinson, 34, died Friday 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 91 meters. 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.
It’s a nature her mother said is emblematised by one of her final acts. At the reception, her daughter had the DJ make a surprise announcement for a dance with “the most important person in the bride’s life”. Mum and daughter were soon dancing to Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars.
“Sam doesn’t want this to destroy our lives,” Lisa Miller said. “We know that.”
She 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.
“We hope that whoever sees this — maybe it will help somebody that has made those poor decisions before stop or maybe not ever make that decision by seeing that real people are affected,” she said.
State Rep. Spencer Wetmore has vowed to continue fighting for safer roads after a “horrible tragedy” that she told AP “has completely broken my heart”.
Aric and Samantha Hutchinson had just tied the knot when tragedy struck. Photo / GoFundMe
In the tragedy’s immediate wake, Lisa Miller said she wanted to leave and never return to the beach town that was supposed to be the launchpad of her daughter’s next chapter. But she since has been heartened by the surrounding community’s outpouring of support.
People have brought dinner to Lisa Miller and Jenkins for the past few nights. A real estate agent connected them with an oceanside condo where they plan to stay at no charge for the next month.
Now, Lisa Miller said she wants to move there and be around “good-hearted, genuinely caring people”. The two emphasised that they want to aid Hutchinson, the groom, through his recovery.
“When he gets out of the hospital, it’s not going to be over. He’s going to need a lot of support physically and emotionally,” Jenkins said. “And we will be there for him, too.”
Aric Hutchinson recovering in hospital. Photo / GoFundMe
“Aric is in serious condition and has had one of two reconstruction surgeries, numerous broken bones, and a brain injury, he will have a long recovery,” Annette Hutchinson wrote.
“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. Aric has lost the love of his life,” she added.
Jamie Lee Komoroski is charged with reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing death. Photo / AP
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.
When asked how she felt on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being completely sober, Komoroski allegedly rated herself an eight.
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.
