FOLLY BEACH, S.C. — The groom of a woman who was killed by an alleged drunk driver on the day of their wedding in Folly Beach has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, according to WCIV.
The suit, filed on Wednesday, names several local establishments which allegedly served the driver- who is described in the lawsuit as “bar hopping” that day.
Sam Miller (Hutchinson), 34, was killed after the low-speed vehicle (LSV) she, newlywed Aric Hutchinson and two family members were driving in was rear-ended by alleged drunk driver Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, of James Island.
When Komoroski’s blood was drawn later in police custody, it showed a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.261, according to a toxicology report.
Aric Hutchinson, who was also seriously injured, returned home last Tuesday. The other two occupants have since returned home as well, family told WCIV
An injury lawsuit has also been filed on behalf of the three other occupants of the LSV- Aric Hutchinson, Aric’s brother-in-law Benjamin Garrett, and Aric’s minor nephew, B.G.
“The tragedy has shattered the entire family, beyond just the individuals named in the lawsuit,” attorneys said in a press release Wednesday.
The defendants listed in the lawsuit include:
- Jamie Komoroski
- Beach Front Bars, LLC. - Snapper Jacks
- The Folly Deli, LLC. - The Drop In Bar & Deli
- Crab Shack Inc. - The Crab Shack
- Folly Tacqueria, LLC. - Taco Boy
- Supervisor DOE
- El Gallo Bar and Grill LLC.
- Bottle Cap Holdings, LLC.
- Bottle Cap Management Group, LLC.
- John or Jane Does 1-20*
The lawsuit claims these establishments continued to serve Komoroski despite being “noticeably and visibly intoxicated,” according to WCIV.
The lawsuit also alleges Komoroski started at El Gallo Bar and Grill near Daniel Island before traveling to Folly Beach, where she began bar hopping down Center Street. Her stops included Drop In, The Crab Shack, and Snapper Jack.
Attorneys in the lawsuit said the establishments she stopped at have “a duty of care not to allow patrons to become intoxicated, to not serve alcohol to intoxicated persons.”
They hope the lawsuit helps keep the community safer from drunk driving by focusing on the responsibility of liquor licenses.
The lawsuit also claims Komoroski was a new employee of Taco Boy and her new supervisor is alleged of “organizing, arranging, and supervising an employee function knowing that excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages would be purchased for, served to, and consumed by the employees attending the function,” according to WCIV.
“There are still many details we don’t know about the sequence of events leading up to the tragic crash, but by filing a lawsuit, we can begin the legal discovery process that allows us to get the answers that Samantha’s family deserves,” Attorney Danny Dalton said during the press conference.
You can read the full lawsuit here.
VIDEO: Groom home from hospital after bride killed in wedding night crash in SC
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