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Groom whose bride was killed by drunk driver on wedding day accepts huge settlement
Aric Hutchinson, the South Carolina man whose new bride was killed by a drunk driver on their wedding night in April 2023, has accepted a final wrongful death settlement of $160,000.
The payout was approved by a circuit court judge in early December 2025 and comes nearly three years after the fatal crash in Folly Beach, South Carolina, per Fox 13 News.
Of that amount, Hutchinson will receive $104,586.67 after attorney fees and other costs are deducted. Earlier settlements related to the case, including with several bars accused of overserving the driver, totaled more than $863,000.
The settlement ends civil claims in the wrongful death suit Hutchinson filed against the driver, Jamie Lee Komoroski, as well as several local establishments. One business where Komoroski worked was dropped from the lawsuit after no evidence was found supporting claims against it.
Bride killed after golf cart hit by speeding drunk driver
The crash happened on April 28, 2023, just hours after Samantha Miller, 34, and Hutchinson, 36, were married. The couple was leaving their wedding reception in a golf cart when Komoroski, who was intoxicated, struck them. Police said Komoroski was driving at 65 mph in a 25 mph zone and had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. Miller was killed in the crash, while Hutchinson and two relatives were seriously injured.
Hutchinson suffered two broken legs, multiple facial fractures, and brain injuries as a result of the impact. Miller died from blunt force injuries at the scene, according to Charleston County officials.
Komoroski, who was 27 at the time of the crash, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to multiple charges, including one count of felony DUI, two counts of DUI causing great bodily injury or death, and one count of reckless homicide. A judge sentenced her to 25 years in prison.
Groom reflects on punishment and loss
In statements made during the criminal proceedings, Hutchinson addressed Komoroski’s sentence. “I feel like the punishment fit the crime,” he told WCSC after her sentencing. “I do think she’s sorry. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Sam’s not here, my wife’s not here, the family we planned, all of our injuries. So that’ll take some time for sure.”
Miller’s family also spoke publicly about the crash. Per Live Now Fox, her mother said the incident was “not an accident” and that Komoroski made a “conscious choice” to drive drunk and hit her daughter.
The settlement and criminal case have brought formal closure to the legal aspects of the tragedy. Hutchinson’s acceptance of the final payment marks the end of the long civil process that followed the fatal collision on Folly Beach.