The heartbroken mother of the newlywed who was killed just hours after getting married has shared the harrowing moment she was told her daughter had died.
Samantha Miller, 34, died at the scene and her groom Aric Hutchinson, 36, was left with serious injuries after the golf cart they left their wedding reception in Folly Beach, South Carolina, was rear-ended by Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25.
Samantha was pronounced dead at the scene, while Aric was rushed to hospital after sustaining a brain injury and several broken bones.
He underwent two surgeries and has since been released from hospital to continue his recovery at home.
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Samantha’s devastated mum Lisa Miller has now spoken about being told her beloved daughter had died.
The proud parent had last seen Samantha as they left their wedding reception under a canopy of sparklers held by guests.
A short while later, Lisa said she heard sirens and instinctively knew something bad had happened.
In an interview with Fox News, she said: "At that moment, I said, ‘Something happened to Sam!’
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“It was like a really bad movie, a really bad Netflix movie.
"We were running down the road toward all these lights… and we just were running and screaming Sam's name."
Sam’s dad and younger brother were also there. At the scene, Lisa was told everyone had been taken to hospital, so she and her other daughter Mandi Jenkins headed there to see if they could find out what had happened.
However, it was here she was given the tragic news.
"Then I got the call from Sam's dad that said, 'Sam isn't at the hospital. She's still here. She got killed, and I just identified her,'" she recalled.
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Komoroski was subsequently charged with three counts of felony driving under the influence, resulting in great bodily injury or death and one count of reckless homicide.
In a police report released yesterday (11 May), Komoroski's blood alcohol content was found to be .261 - meaning she was three times over the limit.
She is also alleged to have been travelling at speeds of up to 65mph in a 25mph zone.
The report says that following the smash, Komoroski told officers: “All of a sudden something hit me. I did nothing wrong.”
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In a statement, lawyers working on behalf of Komoroski said yesterday: “We cannot fathom what the families are going through and offer our deepest sympathies.
“We simply ask that there not be a rush to judgement. Our court system is founded upon principles of justice and mercy and that is where all facts will come to light.”
Claire Reid