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A South Carolina groom who suffered a brain injury in a horrific crash that killed his bride after their wedding reception is now recovering at home and planning his new wife’s funeral, according to his family.
Aric Hutchinson, 36, has been released from the hospital after undergoing multiple reconstructive surgeries to repair fractured bones in his legs and face, and broken vertebrae.
“He is physically recovering at home while trying to come to terms with the loss of his beautiful wife,” wrote his mother, Annette Hutchinson, in an update on GoFundMe. “Now he is doing the unimaginable of planning Sam’s funeral along with her family.”
Newlyweds Aric and Samantha Hutchinson were riding in a golf cart with two family members following their wedding at Folley Beach, South Carolina, on April 28 when a suspected drunk driver doing 40 mph above the 25 mph speed limit rear-ended their slow-moving vehicle.
The impact sent the golf cart flying 100 yards and rolling over multiple times.
Samantha, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene, just hours after saying “I do” to Aric.
Another victim, the groom’s relative Ben Garrett, also suffered serious injuries in the crash.
He is being treated in a burn unit after undergoing surgery to clean out his severe road rash and open wounds.
According to the update, Garrett will need another skin graft once he is back home in Utah.
He will remain hospitalized in South Carolina until his wounds start healing.
The third surviving victim, 17-year-old Brogan Garrett, suffered only minor injuries in the April 28 crash.
“We truly believe a guardian angel was with him that night,” Annette Hutchinson wrote. “Our hope is that with love and support, he can get through the trauma of having been involved in this horrific accident at 17.”
The groom’s mom added that “all three are being incredibly strong despite the pain they are suffering.”
The online fundraiser for the victims has topped $703,000 as of Wednesday morning.
The suspect in the crash, 25-year-old Jamie Lee Komoroski, is being held without bond at the Charleston County Detention Center on three counts of felony DUI resulting in death or serious bodily injury and reckless homicide.
According to arrest affidavits, Komoroski said she had a beer and a shot of tequila before getting behind the wheel that night. On an impairment scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being sober), she ranked herself an 8.
Police are still awaiting test results that will show Komoroski’s blood alcohol level.
The suspect’s high-powered attorneys have released a statement asking the public not to “rush to judgment” and allow her case to wind its way through the court system “where all facts will come to light.”
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