A man who was severely injured and whose wife was killed in an auto accident on the night of their wedding in South Carolina is describing his experience.
“My body’s getting back to where I can manage, I guess,” Aric Hutchinson told WCSC on Saturday during a memorial for his wife Samantha Miller, 34, held in Folly Beach, South Carolina.
“It’s just as good as I can feel with the situation, but obviously, today and the outpouring of people was just amazing,” he added. “I know Sam would love it.”
The beach on the island off the coast of Charlotte North Carolina was where the couple was married.
On 28 April, Mr Hutchinson, Miller, and two others were leaving their wedding reception in a golf cart equipped with lights and licensed to drive at night.
Police say Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, slammed into the cart from behind, sending Mr Hutchinson flying 100 yards away from the vehicle. He suffered a brain injury and broken bones as a result of the crash, and was in a wheelchair at Saturday’s memorial.
Ms Komoroski, who was allegedly drunkenly driving 65mph in a 25mph zone in a rental car, was arrested and charged with one count of reckless homicide and three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm.
Witnesses told police the crash was like a “loud explosion going off,” while another described Ms Komoroski saying aloud, "I did nothing wrong”.
Ms Komoroski had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit in South Carolina, according to police, and told police she had multiple drinks the night of the crash after refusing to perform a field sobriety test.
"Words cannot express how devastated we are by her loss," XenTegra, the North Carolina IT company where Miller worked, said in a statement to NBC News. “She carried a light about her, one that shined so brightly upon everyone with whom she interacted. Simply put, Samantha brought an abundance of joy and laughter to the workplace.”
