Groom Whose Bride Was Killed by Drunk Driver in Golf Cart Crash on Wedding Night Accepts $160K Settlement By Ashlyn Robinette

The groom of the South Carolina bride who was killed by a drunk driver on her wedding night in Folly Beach in April 2023, has accepted a final settlement in a wrongful death suit he filed.

Samantha Miller died at age 34 shortly after marrying Aric Hutchinson when an intoxicated Jamie Lee Komoroski rear-ended the golf cart taking the newlyweds to their hotel going 65 mph on April 28, 2023. A final settlement was approved on Tuesday, Dec. 9, in a wrongful death suit Hutchinson filed against Komoroski and several South Carolina bars after she was reportedly “bar hopping” before the crash occurred, per WCBD, WRAL and WCSC.

Komoroski’s vehicle insurer will pay $160,000 to Hutchinson, according to the news outlets. Of the $160,000, Hutchinson will receive $104,586.67, with the remaining funds used to cover attorney fees and other costs. Previous settlements awarded totaled more than $863,000.

Hutchinson’s attorney certified the settlement on his behalf Tuesday, according to Charleston County court records obtained by WCBD. In exchange, Komoroski is released from further civil claims.

Charleston County Coroner, Bobbi Jo O’Neal, previously told PEOPLE in a statement that Miller, who was a passenger in the golf cart, died on the scene from blunt force injuries sustained in the accident.

Hutchinson underwent multiple surgeries after breaking both legs and multiple bones in his face from the crash. Two other family members were also injured after the vehicle was “thrown over 100 yards and rolled several times,” per a GoFundMe page created by Hutchinson’s mother.

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Komoroski, who was 25 at the time of the crash, had a blood alcohol level of 0.261 percent, over three times the legal limit, WCSC previously reported, citing the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s toxicology report. Data from Komoroski’s rental car showed she was driving more than twice the speed limit and only “briefly hit the brakes before she hit the golf cart around 10 p.m.,” the Associated Press previously reported.

In December 2024, Komoroski was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to a felony charge for a DUI causing death, two felony charges for a DUI causing great bodily injury, and another charge for reckless homicide.

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Back in May 2023, Hutchinson made his first public appearance on Good Morning America, opening up about losing his wife just hours after tying the knot. 

“I remember waking up — just kind of foggy, out of sorts — and I could see my mom’s face,” he recounted in the tearful segment. “You could tell that something was wrong. And I asked her, ‘Where’s Sam, where’s Sam?’ And that’s when she told me about the incident and that Sam didn’t make it.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it,” he added, recalling his wife’s death. “That night going on an all-time high to an all-time low. It’s pretty rough to comprehend. … We had family, friends, from all over the country — everywhere there. And everyone was just so happy. She was so happy. It was [one of the best nights of my life].”