A man whose bride was killed on their wedding day when an alleged drunk driver hit their golf cart has spoken out weeks after the tragedy.
Samantha "Sam" Miller, 34, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died just hours after tying the knot with Aric Hutchinson, 36, on April 28 while they were leaving their wedding reception.
They had earlier exchanged their vows on Folly Beach in South Carolina.
Aric was badly in the crash, with The New York Post reporting that he sustained broken bones and bleeding to his brain after the collision. Two other relatives were in the golf cart - both of whom survived.
The driver has since been identified as 25-year-old Jamie Komoroski. Police say she was traveling at 65mph in a 25mph zone.
Police are alleging that Komoroski had a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit at the time of the crash, NBC News reports.
She has been charged with one count of reckless homicide and three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm.
On Saturday (May 13), Aric spoke out about his loss for the first time, telling local outlet Live5 WCSC about a vigil he and his late wife's loved ones held in her honor: "She would’ve loved it."
Aric - who spoke to the outlet on the same beach where he and Sam exchanged their vows - went on to say: "This is Sam. I mean, she’s a beach girl, through and through. We do walk here almost every morning, and this is her send-off for sure. She’s up there smiling for sure."
"I’m feeling pretty good," Aric added. "My body’s getting back to where I can manage, I guess. It’s just as good as I can feel with the situation, but obviously, today and the outpouring of people was just amazing. I know Sam would love it."
Speaking about the response to Sam's passing, Aric said: "There are sincere, genuine, good-hearted people that are just reaching out that felt a reason to, or somehow they were touched by Sam. It just means the world that she left that impact."
A GoFundMe has been set up by Aric's mother, Annette Hutchinson, in order to help cover the costs of Sam's burial as well as medical costs for Aric and others injured in the incident.
She wrote in the fundraiser's description: "On April 28th, what started as the happiest day for Aric and Sam ended with a tragedy.
"While our hearts are broken along with the Millers, we never could have imagined how sharing our story would result in the tremendous outpouring of love, support, and overwhelming generosity we have received from friends, family, co-workers, and strangers."
Thus far, $723,458 has been raised, far surpassing the initial goal of $100,000.
