The groom, who survived the crash, is recovering from a brain injury and numerous broken bones.
It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, watching her daughter marry the love of her love. The bride, Samantha Miller, 34, was, however, tragically killed while the groom, Aric Hutchinson, was left in a terrible condition after an alleged drunk driver crashed into the back of the golf cart they were riding in on April 28. Samantha was still in her wedding dress at the time. Her husband is recovering from a brain injury and numerous broken bones. Two others were also injured in the incident.
This is Samantha Miller right before her wedding on Friday. Her sister shared this photo with me.
— Jordan Cioppa (@JordanCioppaTV) May 2, 2023
A beautiful wedding day ended in tragedy when Sam was killed in a DUI crash just a few hours after she and her husband Aric Hutchinson said “I do.” 💔 pic.twitter.com/CdcnwS1jrC
The mother of the bride never expected such a beautiful time to turn into such a devastating tragedy. "She was around all her people. And her face was just lit up like — I don't know how to describe it," Lisa Miller said of her daughter to CBS News. "This light coming off her face, she was just so happy." The newlywed, unfortunately, died at the scene from blunt force trauma she experienced in the collision.
Just hours before the wedding reception, the bride requested the DJ to make a surprise announcement for a dance with "the most important person in the bride's life." Samantha and her mom Lisa were soon dancing to Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars. "She never met a stranger. She wanted to make sure that everybody was taken care of. She doesn't ever want anybody to be sad or mad," Lisa said. "Sam doesn't want this to destroy our lives. We know that."
The suspected drunk driver has now been charged with three charges of felony DUI causing grievous bodily harm and one case of reckless homicide. The driver was going 65 mph at the time of the accident, according to authorities. Now the family just wants to share their story so that such a terrible accident never happens again. "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 said. According to CNN, Samantha died just five hours after making her wedding vows, after she was hit by the drunken driver in Folly Beach, South Carolina.
Our extreme sorrow, thoughts and prayers go to the family of Samantha Miller and Aric who continues to recover from injuries.
— Charleston Daily (@ChuckTownDaily) May 2, 2023
To experience this level of loss hours after the happiest moment of your lives is immeasurable. #charlestonsc #follybeach #charlestondaily pic.twitter.com/NDzISNi6FO
"A sister, a daughter, a wife, died in her wedding dress because someone made a terrible decision," a tearful Mani Jenkins, sister of the bride, told NBC News. "From the moment she woke up that day until she left the venue, she told Aric on the golf cart that she wanted this day to last forever. He told us that at the hospital when we saw him," Jenkins said.
The family is determined to stay strong for Aric when he gets out of the hospital. "It's not going to be over. He's going to need a lot of support physically and emotionally," Jenkins said. "And we will be there for him, too."
A GoFundMe has been set up "for Sam's burial and medical costs for Aric and his family."
This has to be the worst story I heard all year. Her name was Samantha Miller.
— Loner (@khiFLY) May 2, 2023
His name is Aric Hutchinson. This is their wedding day. Moments after this picture were taken, Aric lost his bride to a drunk driver. The start of their new life ended so soon, smh. pic.twitter.com/NpL5rivhs5
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2023/05/02/south-carolina-bride-killed-dui-affil-pkg-ldn-vpx.wciv
https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/1653379725157363715
https://www.gofundme.com/f/sam-and-aric
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
