Groom who survived crash that killed his bride on the night of their wedding sues drunk driver
Aric Hutchinson is suing the drunk driver accused of killing his wife Samantha just hours after the pair wed.
Last month, Samantha Hutchinson (formerly Miller) was tragically killed just hours after saying 'I do' to her partner Aric.
On 28 April, the Hutchinsons left their wedding reception in Folly Beach, South Carolina in a golf cart, accompanied by two other members of family.
A rented Toyota driven by Komoroski allegedly crashed into the cart, reported as travelling at around 65mph in a 25mph zone.
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The collision saw Hutchinson and the two other passengers be left with severe injuries and hospitalised. Miller suffered blunt force trauma, which saw her sadly pass away at the scene.
After receiving treatment for two broken legs, broken bones in his face, broken vertebraes in his back, brain bleeds and numerous cuts, Hutchinson has now been forced to take on the 'unimaginable' task of organising his wife's funeral alongside her family.
Since leaving hospital, as well as 'physically recovering at home while trying to come to terms with the loss of his beautiful wife,' Hutchinson has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the drunk driver who is accused of killing the bride, named by police as 25-year-old Jamie Lee Komoroski.
Komoroski's Blood Alcohol Content Level was 0.261 - over three times the legal limit - according to a police report by Folly Beach Police Sgt. Zac Halpern.
Hutchinson is not only suing the driver of the vehicle, but several bars too, accusing them of selling Komoroski alcohol despite the 25-year-old being 'noticeably and visibly intoxicated'.
The defendants within the lawsuit are listed as: 'Beach Front Bars, LLC - Snapper Jacks, The Folly Deli, LLC. - The Drop In Bar and Deli, Crab Shack Inc. - The Crab Shack, Folly Tacqueria, LLC. - Taco Boy, Supervisor DOE, El Gallo Bar and Grill LLC., Bottle Cap Holdings, LLC., Bottle Cap Management Group, LLC., John or Jane Does 1-20*."
The lawsuit states the establishments noted have a 'a duty of care not to allow patrons to become intoxicated, to not serve alcohol to intoxicated persons'.
The lawsuit also refers to Komoroski's place of work, alleging staff would go out to bars after their shifts as part of an 'almost routine gathering'.
It claims supervisors would 'also attend those gatherings' and so Komoroski's supervisor is responsible for allegedly 'organising, arranging and supervising an employee function knowing that excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages would be purchased for, served to, and consumed by the employees attending the function'.
The lawyer representing Hutchinson, Danny Dalton, shared a press release on behalf of the family yesterday (Wednesday, 17 May).
It reads: "The tragedy has shattered the entire family, beyond just the individuals named in the lawsuit.
"[...] 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.
"We hope that the bars will cooperate with us and provide whatever they have. I would think that given the tragic nature of this case, they would want to own up to whatever happened or didn't happen for that matter."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Topics: US News, Crime, True Crime
Poppy Bilderbeck