Report: Driver in crash that killed bride at Folly Beach was drunk, speeding

Folly Beach Police say Komoroski was also driving well over the speed limit when she crashed into a golf cart carrying bride Samantha Hutchinson, 34.

The groom, Aric Hutchinson, is recovering from a brain injury and numerous broken bones after the golf cart was thrown 100 yards (91 meters). Two other occupants also reportedly suffered injuries of varying severity.

The mother of the bride, Lisa Miller, and her daughter, Mandi Jenkins, are now urging drivers to reconsider how a split-second decision to take the wheel while drunk may have lasting consequences for a “real family” like theirs. She pointed inebriated ride seekers towards apps like Uber or Lyft.

Jamie Komoroski, 25, has been charged with reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing death or great bodily injury. She told the responding officer that she had consumed one beer and a drink with tequila about an hour before the crash, according to an affidavit obtained by The Associated Press.

She grew uncooperative after refusing to complete a sobriety test, according to the affidavit, and the officer had to help her stand. The officer then reported getting a warrant for two vials of blood after she refused to provide a breath sample at the station.

“We hope that whoever sees this — maybe it will help somebody that has made those poor decisions before stop or maybe not ever make that decision by seeing that real people are affected," Lisa Miller said.

The accident has spotlighted traffic safety in a community that has recently moved to combat speeding. Folly Beach residents successfully pushed the South Carolina Department of Transportation in 2018 to lower the speed limit by five miles per hour to 25 mph.

State Rep. Spencer Wetmore, the city administrator at the time, vowed Tuesday to continue fighting for safer roads after a “horrible tragedy" that she told AP "has completely broken my heart.”