The grieving family and husband of a bride who died on her wedding night in a crash with a drink driver last year have been awarded a large amount of compensation.
Judge Robert Young ruled Tuesday that Samantha Hutchinson’s parents and newlywed husband, as well as two other crash victims, will receive a $1.3 million settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit against the accused drunk driver and the restaurants and bars that served her. CMSC Reports.
Jamie Lee Komorosk, 26, was three times over the legal blood alcohol limit after a day of bar hopping, when she allegedly crashed into a golf cart carrying newlyweds Aric , 37, and Samantha, 34, from their beach wedding ceremony at Folly Beach. , South Carolina, April 28, 2023.
He is now under house arrest in an exclusive enclave of Charleston and has yet to hand over settlement money.
Aric Hutchinson and the family of his wife, Samantha, received a $1.3 million settlement for their wrongful death lawsuit.
Among those who agreed to contribute to the deal were several bars in the Lowcountry, as well as Hutchinson’s Progressive politician and Enterprise Rent-a-Car, which had rented the SUV Komoroski was driving that night.
Two other beach bars settled in October for allowing Komoroski to become “visibly” drunk before crashing.
The money will now be divided between Aric, his parents and two other people who were in the golf cart with the newlyweds that night.
But settlements have yet to be reached with all of the defendants named in Hutchinson’s wrongful death lawsuit, as litigation with the Taco Boy restaurant continues.
The wrongful death lawsuit claims Komoroski had been an employee of Taco Boy for a short time.
He argued that the restaurant was negligent by “arranging, arranging and supervising an employee function/gathering knowing that excessive quantities of alcoholic beverages would be purchased, served and/or consumed by employees attending the function/gathering.”
Taco Boy, however, has argued that Komoroski was not at his restaurant and was not served alcohol there the night of the fatal crash, according to WCSC.
He also denies there was any “organized employee function around drinking.”
Komoroski was three times over the legal blood alcohol content limit after a day of bar hopping when he allegedly crashed into a golf cart carrying the newlyweds and two friends.
The impact of the crash sent the golf cart flying 100 meters away, causing it to overturn several times.
But when Komoroski crashed his SUV into the Hutchinsons, who were leaving their wedding in a golf cart with two other passengers, he was traveling 65 mph.
The impact threw the car 100 meters, causing it to overturn several times.
The Hutchinsons were then rushed to a local hospital, but the bride succumbed to her injuries and died in her wedding dress.
Her husband, Aric, was seriously injured and had two reconstructive surgeries, in addition to suffering numerous broken bones and a brain injury.
In a later interview with Good Morning America, they recalled their final moments together before the fatal accident.
“The last thing I remember him saying was that he wanted the night to never end,” he said.
The next thing he knew, he was at the hospital asking where his wife was.
“That’s when (my mother) told me there was an incident and Sam didn’t survive,” he told ABC.
Komoroski was charged with one count of felony DUI resulting in death, two counts of felony DUI resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of reckless homicide.
Komoroski was subsequently charged with one count of felony DUI resulting in death, two counts of felony DUI resulting in serious bodily injury, and one count of reckless homicide.
He admitted to having two drinks an hour before the accident: a beer and a tequila-pineapple cocktail.
But she would later admit in a call on December 11, months before being released on $150,000 bail, that she is “addicted to alcohol because anything that makes me feel different or takes me away from what I’m supposed to feel , I used to try to do it.
‘I just didn’t think life had any meaning. She was extremely alone and had no life. “I could never just sit with my thoughts,” she continued in a phone call obtained by the New York Post.
Komoroski is now serving house arrest in an exclusive enclave of Charleston.
Komoroski failed to post bail last August when her lawyers offered a series of reasons why she was not a flight risk and suggested she be released into the care of her mother in New Jersey and undergo rehab for an alcohol problem. .
In denying bail at the time, the Charleston County judge included the provision that Komoroski would be released on $150,000 bail if she was still awaiting trial by March 2024, but that she would have to remain in Charleston County.
Under the terms of his bond, Komoroski cannot leave his apartment for anything other than “medical emergencies” or court dates.
You must also wear a GPS and a SCRAM ankle bracelet, a device that monitors alcohol consumption every thirty minutes by tracking sweat.
If ultimately convicted for the fatal crash, the felony charge of DUI resulting in death alone carries a fine of up to $25,000 and a mandatory sentence of one year in prison with a maximum sentence of 25 years on the table.
If sentenced to the minimum sentence, Komoroski could be released in less than two months, given the time already served.
