Bars who served drunk driver that killed bride hours after wedding agree tentative settlement with groom

Two of the bars who served a drunk driver that killed a bride hours after she tied the knot have agreed a tentative agreement with the groom.

Samantha Miller and Aric Hutchinson were supposed to having one of the happiest day of their lives on 28 April, 2023, but it ended in tragedy.

Samantha, 34, was killed just minutes after the couple left their wedding reception, with Aric, 36, left critically injured after a woman allegedly crashed into the golf cart they were in.

Aric spent a long period after the crash in hospital after suffering a brain injury and multiple broken bones.

Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, who has been accused of causing the death of Samantha, has recently been indicted on four felony counts in South Carolina.

The documents show a grand jury returned indictments on 12 September against her, with charges for driving under the influence resulting in death, two counts of DUI with great bodily injury and reckless homicide.

The indictments came a few weeks after Komoroski appeared in court and broke down in tears when the judge denied her bond request after determining she was a flight risk.

She is set to remain behind bars until her trial gets underway in March 2024.

Charleston Sheriff Office

If the trial is delayed, Komoroski could be released but will have to follow certain conditions, including house arrest and electronic monitoring.

As for the establishments that allegedly served Komoroski the alcohol, a tentative agreement has been reached with the groom.

The Drop In Bar & Deli and The Crab Shack are said to have agreed to pay 'certain sums' to Aric that has been described by his lawyer as 'reasonable', according to a petition for approval in Charleston County Court in South Carolina.

The final settlement is confidential, while the case will continue against other defendants, Aric's attorney, Daniel Dalton, has confirmed.

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Before all is finalized, a judge must approve the settlement.

In a lawsuit field by Aric, Komoroski is said to have 'slurred and staggered' across several bars around Folly Beach before jumping into her Toyota Camry and speeding with a blood-concentration level more than three times the legal limit.

El Gallo Bar & Grill, Snapper Jacks, The Drop In Bar & Deli and The Crab Shack have all been named in the lawsuit to have allowed Komoroski to become intoxicated or continued to sell her alcohol when she had already had enough.