Suspect had a blood alcohol content over three times the legal limit when she killed a bride on her wedding day in DUI crash, report shows
By Maxime Tamsett and Devon Sayers, CNN
Jamie Komoroski’s blood alcohol level was over three times the legal limit when she allegedly drove her car into a golf-cart style vehicle carrying a newly married couple away from their wedding reception last month, killing the bride, according to a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division toxicology report.
In the report shared with CNN by the Folly Beach Police Department, Komoroski, 25, was found to have had a blood alcohol content of 0.261%. South Carolina law prohibits driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher.
The bride, Samantha Hutchinson, 34, from Charlotte, North Carolina, died of blunt force injuries according to the Charleston County Coroner’s Office. Her husband, Aric Hutchinson, and two others were also injured in the crash.
Komoroski is charged with one count of reckless homicide and three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm, according to online court records. Her vehicle was traveling 65 mph in a 25-mph zone, according to Police Chief Andrew Gilreath.
Komoroski refused a field sobriety test after the incident on April 28 and a warrant was issued for her blood to be taken for testing, according to an affidavit.
“We cannot fathom what the families are going through and offer our deepest sympathies. We simply ask that there not be a rush to judgment. Our court system is founded upon principles of justice and mercy and that is where all facts will come to light,” Christopher Gramiccioni, an attorney for Komoroski, told CNN in a statement.
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CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.