Mom of South Carolina bride slams drunk driver Jamie Komoroski

The devastated mother of the South Carolina bride killed by an alleged drunk driver on her wedding night has slammed the intoxicated motorist’s “conscious choice” to get behind the wheel — and recalled the heart-wrenching moment she saw the scene of her daughter’s gruesome accident.

Lisa Miller — whose daughter Samantha Hutchinson, 34, was killed when Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, mowed into the golf cart she and her new husband were riding in after their Folly Beach reception — said in an interview published Thursday that the tragedy “wasn’t an accident.”

“This person chose to drink, get behind the wheel, and plow down my daughter. This is a conscious choice that a young lady made,” she told Fox News Digital.

Toxicology results released Thursday revealed that Komoroski, who has a history of traffic violations, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.261 — more than three times the legal limit — at the time of the crash on April 28.

According to an incident report, the Coastal Carolina University graduate told officers at the scene that she “did nothing wrong,” even though she was driving 65 mph in a 25-mph zone.

She also refused a field sobriety test.


The mother of the South Carolina bride killed by a drunk driver on her wedding day slammed the motorist’s “conscious choice” to get behind the wheel.
The mother of the South Carolina bride killed by an alleged drunk driver on her wedding day, Lisa Miller, slammed the motorist’s “conscious choice” to get behind the wheel.
Fox News

Samantha’s husband, Aric Hutchinson, 36, was severely injured in the smash-up.

He was released from the hospital this week following multiple surgeries on his face, legs and vertebrae.

“Now he is doing the unimaginable of planning Sam’s funeral along with her family,” his mother, Annette Hutchinson, wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page this week.


Newlyweds Samatha and Aric were riding in a golf cart when Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, crashed into them, killing Samatha instantly.
Newlyweds Samatha and Aric were riding in a golf cart when Jamie Lee Komoroski (not pictured) crashed into them, killing Samantha instantly.
GoFundMe

Jamie Lee Komoroski.
Toxicology results revealed that Komoroski, 25, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.26, more than three times the legal limit, at the time of the crash on April 28.
AP

“Aric and Sam are definitely soulmates,” Miller told Fox of the couple, who met three years ago at a hotel in Utah.

“Their hearts were very much alike. They both loved incredibly.” 

Just hours before the crash, the pair exchanged vows near the beach before treating their 120 guests to a boho reception at the Pelican Watch Pavilion, the outlet reported.


Aric was released from the hospital this week following multiple surgeries on his face, legs, and vertebrae.
Aric was released from the hospital this week following multiple surgeries on his face, legs and vertebrae.
GoFundMe

In addition to a special mother-daughter dance, the family-centric celebration included a pineapple-coconut cake baked by Samantha’s sister, Mandi Jenkins.

“Sammy called me a couple of months into starting to plan her wedding and said, ‘Sissy, can you make my wedding cake?’ and I was like, ‘I’m not a baker,’ and she was like, ‘It doesn’t have to taste good,’” Jenkins told the outlet.

“I just didn’t get to ask her how it tasted,” she tearfully recalled.


The incident occurred near Folly Beach.
The incident occurred near Folly Beach.
WCIV

Photos show Samantha and Aric beaming as they exited the reception hand-in-hand through a path of sparklers.

Minutes later, Komoroski’s vehicle collided with their golf cart, which careened 100 feet.

Samantha, who was still wearing her wedding dress, was killed instantly.


Two other family members that were on the golf cart during the incident were injured.
Two other family members who were on the golf cart during the incident were injured.
WCIV

“It was like a really bad movie, a really bad Netflix movie,” Miller said of racing to the scene with Jenkins from their Airbnb.

“We were running down the road toward all these lights … and we just were running and screaming Sam’s name.”

Miller and Jenkins eventually went to the hospital to wait for news, only to receive a devastating call from Samantha’s father.


“This person chose to drink, get behind the wheel, and plow down my daughter. This is a conscious choice that a young lady made,” Miller told Fox News Digital.
“This person chose to drink, get behind the wheel, and plow down my daughter. This is a conscious choice that a young lady made,” Miller told Fox News Digital.
Fox 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,’” Miller remembered through tears.

Almost two weeks after the crash, Komoroski remains in jail without bond.

The former taco eatery waitress has retained two high-powered attorneys, Nathan S. Williams and Christopher S. Gramiccioni, to defend her in her criminal case.

“We cannot fathom what the families are going through and offer our deepest sympathies,” the lawyers wrote in a statement to the Post & Courier this week.

“We simply ask that there not be a rush to judgment. Our court system is founded upon principles of justice and mercy and that is where all facts will come to light.”

The New Jersey native — who lived with two roommates on James Island, near the scene of the accident — is reportedly on suicide watch.