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Woman Accused of Killing Bride in DUI Crash Was Three Times over Legal Limit, Officials Allege
Jamie Komoroski allegedly plowed her car into a golf cart carrying a bridal party at 65 m.p.h. The bride, Samantha Miller, died on the scene.
The South Carolina woman accused of drunkenly plowing into a golf cart that left a bride dead and her groom seriously injured allegedly had a blood alcohol concentration three times over the legal limit, according to state officials.
Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, was believed to be behind the wheel on April 28, when her rental car rear-ended a golf cart carrying newlyweds Samantha Miller, 34, and Aric Hutchinson, just hours after they took their vows in Folley Beach, an island community in South Carolina. Miller – still in her wedding dress when the crash took place – died on the scene, while Hutchinson continues his recovery at home after suffering multiple injuries, according to an update released by the family.
Komoroski, who was unharmed, was charged with three counts of DUI involving death or serious bodily injury and reckless homicide, according to an incident report by the Folley Beach Department of Public Safety and reviewed by Oxygen.com.
On May 5, a toxicology report by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) obtained by Oxygen.com revealed Komoroski’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.261. South Carolina law prohibits driving with BAC levels above 0.08, meaning Komoroski was more than three times above the legal limit.
“The above range is calculated at 99.7% confidence,” the report states.
The results come days after Komoroski’s attorneys, Nathan S. Williams and former New Jersey prosecutor Christopher S. Gramiccioni, issued a statement imploring “there not be a rush to judgment,” per the New York Post.
“Our court system is founded upon principles of justice and mercy, and that is where all the facts will come to light,” they stated.
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Folley Beach officials responded to reports of a serious crash on the evening of April 28, finding a “mangled” golf cart with a Toyota Camry driven by Komoroski, according to the police report. Officers smelled alcohol on Komoroski’s breath, with Komoroski admitting she previously had a beer and a tequila-pineapple alcoholic beverage.
Officers noted her “pupils were very large” and that she lost her footing while trying to stand on her own.
At the time, the suspect refused to take field sobriety tests – including a Breathalyzer test - at the crash site, prompting authorities to issue a warrant to draw blood for testing after she arrived at the police station, per the police report.
Miller and Hutchinson were returning from their wedding reception for their rental home when Komoroski allegedly plowed into the back of their golf cart shortly before 10:30 p.m. Authorities with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office downloaded data from the rental car, documenting that the vehicle in which Komoroski was driving was traveling 65 m.p.h. at the moment of impact and that the driver only briefly pressed the brakes beforehand.
The golf cart subsequently flew more than 100 yards, rolling several times.
Witnesses described hearing a “loud boom” at the time of the crash, with several running to help the victims.
“[Witness] stated Jamie seemed in a daze but would keep asking for her boyfriend and telling them she was on her way home,” wrote Folley Beach officials. “But at times, [Jamie] would stop talking as if thinking then start asking if that was her car and then she would see one of the injured and start screaming who is that.”
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Hutchinson’s brother-in-law, Benjamin Garrett, and Garrett’s 17-year-old son were also passengers on the golf cart but survived the crash, according to an update on the family’s GoFundMe page. Garrett continues his recovery in a burn unit and has undergone surgery for severe road rash and open wounds, while the teen sustained only minor injuries.
Hutchinson suffered broken bones in his face, spine, and both legs, some of which required surgery. He also sustained “numerous cuts with stitches” and bleeding on the brain.
“He is physically recovering at home while trying to come to terms with the loss of his beautiful wife,” wrote Hutchinson’s mother. “Now he is doing the unimaginable of planning Sam’s funeral along with her family.”
Komoroski is a New Jersey native and reportedly moved to Charleston, where she worked as a restaurant server, according to NBC New York affiliate WNBC. She is currently being held at the Charleston County jail
