The groom who tragically lost his wife on his wedding day has now received a huge settlement.
Newlyweds Aric Hutchinson and Samantha Miller had tied the knot on Folly Beach, South Carolina in April 2023, but their lives were changed forever when they were hit by a vehicle alleged to be travelling at 65mph in a 25mph zone.
Bride Samantha was killed at the scene while Aric was left critically injured after Jamie Lee Komoroski hit the wedding party’s golf cart.
Blood alcohol tests carried out by police revealed that Komoroski had a blood alcohol level of 0.26 percent. This was more than three times the legal limit in the state of South Carolina, according to local media reports.
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The 26-year-old was recently released on bond and her trial date is yet to be set.
Following the monumental loss, Hutchinson went on to sue Komoroski and started legal proceedings against a number of bars which are alleged to have served her alcohol.
The lawsuit describes the driver as 'bar-hopping' before getting behind the wheel, and claims that the bars which did so failed in their duty of care to the public by serving her alcohol, despite her being 'noticeably and visibly intoxicated'.
Lawyers have also stated that bars have 'a duty of care not to allow patrons to become intoxicated, to not serve alcohol to intoxicated persons'.
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Hutchinson's lawyer, Danny Dalton, said in May last year: "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."
He added: "You go from the happiest moment of your life to an unfathomable tragedy. They are all recovering physically and emotionally. As you can imagine the groom is doing okay. He has a wonderful tight-knit family from both on his side and his late wife's side."
Miller's family have now reached a settlement after filing a wrongful death lawsuit over a year on from her death.
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Yesterday (18 June), Judge Robert Young ruled that the Hutchinson, Miller's estate, and the two other crash victims will receive a $1.3 million settlement.
According to WDBJ7, the total was over $863,000 after attorney and legal fees,
Those paying the sum include various bars in the South Carolina Lowcountry area who served Komoroski, as well as Hutchinson's Progressive policy and Enterprise Rent-a-Car.
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
Rhiannon Ingle