Three South Carolina bars will pay over $1.3 million after a man’s new wife was killed hours after their wedding.
Samantha Miller died on April 28, 2023, when a drunk driver rear-ended the golf cart she was riding in with her husband, Aric Hutchinson, and two family members. Hutchinson sued the bars that served the driver, Jamie Komoroski, whose blood-alcohol content was three times the legal limit at the crash time.
The bars included in the lawsuit were the Crab Shack, the Drop-In Bar and Deli, and Snapper Jacks.
The couple was leaving their wedding reception in Folly Beach on a golf cart when Komoroski, traveling at 65 mph, hit them. Miller died from her injuries, while Hutchinson suffered two broken legs, multiple broken bones in his face, and brain injuries. Judge Roger Young awarded a $1.3 million settlement to Hutchinson, the estate of Miller, and the other golf cart passengers.
After attorney and legal fees, the total amount received was over $863,000. An ongoing estate dispute between Hutchinson and Miller’s mother, Lisa Miller, also reduced the total. In December 2023, Lisa Miller challenged the legality of her daughter’s marriage to Hutchinson and sought to replace him as the representative for her daughter’s estate.
