A newlywed bride is dead, the groom is in critical condition and two other family members are injured after police say an intoxicated woman driving over twice the speed limit slammed into the back of a golf cart on a South Carolina beach road.
Samantha Miller, 34, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died in the crash, the Charleston County Coroner’s Office reported.
Folly Beach Public Safety Department Chief Andrew Gilreath said Miller had been married hours earlier, the Associated Press reported.
The golf cart had proper lights and was in legal condition to drive at night, police said.
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Driver was going 65 mph in a 25 mph zone, police say
Folly Beach police said data retrieved from Jamie Lee Komoroski’s rental car show she was driving 65 mph and briefly hit the brakes before she slammed into the golf cart about 10:15 p.m. Friday.
The speed limit along the stretch of road where the crash took place is 25 mph.
According to an arrest affidavit, police responded to the scene and found the golf cart on it’s side up against a grey Toyota Camry and multiple victims laying on the ground.
An officer said the driver of the Camry spelled strongly of alcohol and admitted to drinking “one beer and a drink with tequila about an hour ago.”
The driver, the affidavit goes onto state, refused a sobriety and a breath test. She was arrested and hospital workers drew a blood sample. Her exact blood alcohol content was not listed in the report.
Komoroski, who lives in Charleston, less than 10 miles from where the fatal wreck took place, is charged with reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, court records show.
Komoroski, 25, remained jailed Charleston County with no bond Tuesday, online records showed, and her next court date was set for mid-June.
Family was escorting couple from reception
The victims’ family could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY on Tuesday.
According to a fundraiser created by the groom’s mother to help pay for her daughter-in-law’s funeral and her son’s medical bills, her son-in-law and grandson, both from Utah, were also in the golf cart escorting the couple from the reception when they were hit.
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The page, created Monday by Annette Hutchinson, included a photo of the newlyweds walking under sparklers just before the crash. It also included a photo of groom Aric Hutchinson in the hospital, where he was recovering from a brain injury and numerous broken bones. Annette Hutchinson said her son-in-law was also seriously injured when the golf cart rolled over several times.
The groom’s mother wrote she was handed a bag with her son’s wedding band at the hospital, five hours after his late wife put it on his finger.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.