The alleged drunk driver who killed a newlywed bride and severely injured the groom in a grisly weekend crash is on suicide watch in jail, authorities in South Carolina said.
Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, was booked under suicide watch at Charleston County jail on Saturday after she told an officer at the hospital that she wanted to kill herself, according to a police affidavit.
Komoroski was behind the wheel of a Toyota rental car on Friday night when she allegedly plowed into a golf cart carrying Samantha Hutchinson and her husband, Aric, away from their Folly Beach wedding reception.
According to the affidavit, officers arrived shortly after 10:15 and found “multiple victims” strewn throughout the area.
Samantha, 34, was found not breathing and with no pulse and was declared dead at the scene. Aric and two other passengers were severely injured and remain in the hospital.
Folly Beach police said Komoroski, who was not injured, was driving 65 miles per hour at the time of the crash and that she smelled of alcohol but refused a field sobriety test.
According to the affidavit, she told first responders that she had had one beer and one tequila shot before the accident.
When asked how she felt on a scale of 1 to 10 — 10 being completely sober — Komoroski allegedly rated herself an 8.
Who was Sam Hutchinson?
The 34-year-old married her husband, Aric, on Friday in a heartwarming wedding that had a tragic ending.
Hutchinson was reportedly killed by Jamie Lee Komoroski, an alleged drunk driver, while the bride and groom exited on a golf cart shortly after their wedding reception Friday night.
Hutchinson was declared dead at the scene while her husband is in the hospital with severe injuries.
The bride’s sister, Mandi Jenkins, recalled it as “the best day” of the newlywed’s life.
The groom’s mom added: “Aric has lost the love of his life.”
What will happen to Jamie Lee Komoroski?
Komoroski, 25, allegedly plowed into the Hutchinsons’ golf cart while driving around 65 miles per hour, according to Folly Beach police.
The driver reportedly smelled of alcohol but refused to take a sobriety test.
She was charged with three felony DUIs resulting in great bodily injury or death and one count of reckless homicide.
When asked how she felt on a scale of 1 to 10 — with 10 being completely sober — Komoroski allegedly rated herself an 8, WCIV reported.
Komoroski was booked under suicide watch after telling an officer she wanted to die, according to WCIV.
The results of Komoroski’s blood test are pending, but Charleston County records show that she was charged with three felony DUIs resulting in great bodily injury or death and one count of reckless homicide.
She is being held without bail.
Meanwhile, Samantha and Aric’s families are struggling to grapple with their loss during what should have been the happiest period of the couple’s life.
“I was handed Aric’s wedding ring in a plastic bag at the hospital, five hours after Sam placed it on his finger and they read each other their vows,” the groom’s mother wrote on the GoFundMe started hours after the tragedy.
“Aric has lost the love of his life.”
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