Shortly after leaving their wedding reception, a bride tragically died and her husband was admitted to the hospital.
It was the day that Samantha Miller and Aric Hutchinson were meant to be enjoying, their best day ever.
Following their official marriage, the newlyweds celebrated with friends and family at the wedding reception.
Tragic events occurred, nevertheless, when they departed in a golf cart with a “Just Married” sign on it.
There has been an overwhelming amount of global support for the announcement.
A commenter says, “This story hurts my heart.” I’m sending love and strength to each and every one of you during this terrible time.
“Aric, our hearts are broken for you,” writes another.
A third says, “It’s unbelievable that you’re no longer with us, Sam.”
Reports state that 25-year-old Jamie Komoroski, an alleged drunk driver, rear-ended Miller and Hutchinson.
In a 25 mph zone, Komoroski was allegedly driving at 65 mph while intoxicated while using a rental Toyota Camry.
The collision happened on Folly Beach, USA, in South Carolina.
After being flung more than a hundred yards, the couple tumbled multiple times before coming to a rest.
Miller’s severe force injuries from the collision caused his instantaneous death.
After the accident, Hutchinson required two reconstructive operations and was in a severe state due to several fractured bones and brain damage.
Ben Garrett, his brother-in-law, and Brogan, his nephew, were also hurt in the wagon that Komoroski struck.
Komoroski was charged with three counts of felony DUI resulting in grave bodily damage or death and reckless vehicular murder while driving alone.
Over $743,000 has been received via a GoFundMe campaign set up by Hutchinson’s mother Annette to pay for Hutchinson’s medical bills and Miller’s funeral expenses.
Hutchinson’s mother posts an emotional message, saying, “Aric has lost the love of his 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.”
Since the tragedy, a lot of people have shared the couple’s last photos on social media, which feature them laughing and performing a sparkler tunnel as they leave their wedding ceremony.
Since then, Hutchinson has made her voice known in a recent Good Morning America interview.
He talked candidly about that awful day, his journey to rehabilitation, and dealing with such a profound loss.
He added, “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it,” in reflection on the event. It’s difficult to attempt and understand that night’s transition from an all-time high to an all-time low.”
He spoke warmly of his late wife, saying, “She was so happy.” As most people are aware, organizing a wedding can be incredibly stressful. And that evening, she simply seemed strangely at ease.
Samantha said, “I do remember the last thing I remember her saying was she wanted the night to never end,” as Aric recalled her final words.
It has been revealed by the Associated Press that Hutchinson would get a partial settlement of around $1 million for the crash.
The Post and Courier reports that Hutchinson will get about $863,300 from a number of sources, including Progressive vehicle insurance, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and the Folly Beach businesses The Drop-In Bar & Deli, The Crab Shack, and Snapper Jacks.
The driver was allegedly provided alcohol by these establishments, and Enterprise hired her the car.
The entire settlement sum is $1.3 million; but, after attorney and legal fees, Hutchinson’s share will be less.
Currently free on bond, Komoroski is accused with several felonies, including two counts of driving while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury, reckless homicide, and driving under the influence resulting in death.
The court system is still working on her case.
Now that his mother-in-law is contesting the legality of their marriage, the bereaved groom is engaged in a legal struggle with her over her estate.
At first, Lisa Miller, Samantha’s mother, showed her admiration for Hutchinson, referring to him as her son.
She is now attempting to have him removed from his position as Samantha’s executor, claiming that there may have been “potential fraud” and raising the possibility that the marriage was void.
A potentially large court payout from the wrongful death claim is at the heart of the conflict.
A move to intervene in the case was filed by Lisa Miller, who then withdrew it and filed it again.
She feels Hutchinson is marginalizing her in the settlement process, which she feels goes against her daughter’s interests, she told The Post and Courier.
Given that we are the two most important persons in Sam’s life, “Aric and I agreed several times that Sam would want us to do everything together,” the woman said.
“I never intended to question the marriage’s legality. I never wanted to bring Sam down. However, I believe that by defyney grab,” according to Miller’s lawyer Jerry Meehan, who also claims that Lisa Miller’s main goal is to safeguard Samantha’s fortune and make sure that all legitimate heirs are taken into account.
Due to the fact that Hutchinson’s aunt and uncle signed the marriage license, which was recorded on May 1, three days after the wedding, questions have been raised about the validity of the union.
In addition, there were purported inconsistencies in the license; for example, Miller was only 34 years old, while the aunt and uncle claimed to have known one other for 36 years.
Aric Hutchinson, who said he had given his mother-in-law half of the settlement, expressed regret about the dispute.
His attorneys have deemed Lisa Miller’s move to intervene “morally dubious” and “legally baseless,” and they have rejected the doubts regarding the marriage certificate as unimportant.”
“Aric has been more than generous with Lisa Miller—offering her half of the money—and she has repaid him by threatening to bring a frivolous challenge to the validity of his marriage to Sam,” stated Patrick Wooten, Hutchinson’s attorney. It would seem that Ms. Miller would be too proud of her own daughter to act in that way.
Lisa Miller has been promised by Hutchinson half of the settlement from the wrongful death lawsuit in exchange for her quitting her legal defense of their marriage.
“Lisa Miller does not have a legitimate legal claim, which is why Aric made this settlement offer. He is a generous person who would naturally like to avoid costly, public litigation over the validity of his marriage to Sam,” Wooten stated.
‘Little Miss Dynamite’ blew up the charts when she was only 12: The story of Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee’s name may not be as recognizable as some of the other music stars from the 1960s but when you think of Christmas, you’ll know her song, and start humming her catchy tune, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
When Lee, now 78, first hit the stage, she wasn’t old enough to drive but her powerful vocals steered her “unprecedented international popularity” as the most successful female artist of the 1960s.
Lee, whose voice defied her diminutive stature at only 4 foot 9, became a fan favorite when she was only 12.
Brenda May Tarpley, born in 1944, got her start in the late 1940s, became huge in the 1950s, and over her career–that started before she left elementary school–she topped the charts 55 times, earning the title as the most successful female recording artist of the 1960s.
When Lee was only eight (according to Rolling Stone), her father, a construction worker, was killed at work and little Brenda–who then changed her last name to Lee–became the family’s primary provider.
Taking care of her younger brother, big sister, and mother–a cotton mill worker–was not a duty, but something she wanted to do. She said that she was thrilled when she made her first $20, so she could help her family: “Even at that young age, I saw that helped our life,” Lee said, adding “It put some food on the table. It helped, and I loved it.”
The Atlanta-born chanteuse, called a “pioneer of early rock and roll,” by the Georgia Encyclopedia, achieved “unprecedented international popularity in the 1960s.”
But, an incredibly humble human, Lee credits those who helped her achieve her dreams. When Christianity Today asked what she thinks about being a legend, Lee said “I don’t think of myself that way!” She continued, “I’m just a girl who’s been blessed to be doing what I’m doing, and there’s a lot of people who’ve sweated a lot of tears and put a lot of life’s work into me to be able to have my dream. So, if I’m a legend, then they’re legends, too.”
In 1956, the young girl joined country star Red Foley for a show at the Bell Auditorium near her home in Augusta, and she belted out “Jambalaya,” by Hank Williams.
She was then signed to appear on Foley’s Ozark Jubilee, a country music show, where millions of viewers fell in love with the sassy 12-year-old whose talent was developed well beyond her age.
In the same year, Lee signed with Decca Records, and the next year, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and fusing country with rhythm and blues–highlighted by her hiccupping vocals–she recorded early rockabilly classics like “BIGELOW 6-200,” “Little Jonah,” and “Let’s Jump the Broomstick.”
When asked if–when as a young girl–she was nervous performing in front of large crowds, she answered: “No, not really. Nobody ever told me to be nervous. The stage always felt like a hometown to me because I had been in front of people ever since I was 3 years old, singing to people. So it was a very comfortable spot for me.”
In 1957, Lee earned the nickname “Little Miss Dynamite” for her pint-sized powerhouse recording of the song “Dynamite,” and in 1958, fans heard “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree,” a genre and generation-crossing holiday standard, released when she was only 13.
“I knew it was magical,” she told Rolling Stone.
Over the next couple of years, she charted with hits like “Sweet Nuthin’s,” “All Alone Am I,” and “Fool #1.”
Most of her songs, however, contradicted her experience as a young girl. Her mother didn’t let her date and she graduated high school not understanding the heartbreak of young love.
She was only 16 when she said “Love could be so cruel” in the song “I’m Sorry” and only 16 when she said “I want his lips to kiss me” in the song “I Want to be Wanted,” both back-to-back hits when she was still in school.
And when she turned 18, she met Ronnie Shacklett, whom she’s now been happily married to for 60 years.
Life on the road for Lee as a youngster had its difficulties. She celebrated her 12th birthday in Las Vegas and speaking with the Las Vegas Journal, Lee explained her loneliness.
“Of course, I wasn’t even allowed to walk through a casino, I was so young. So I didn’t even know what a casino looked like. They took me into the kitchen, then into the showroom. And then when my show was over, I was brought back out through the kitchen and back up to my room. Children weren’t allowed … in the casino area.” She continued, “There wasn’t anything to do in Vegas for a kid. The most fun I had was on the stage.”
Speaking on what she missed out on as a child, the award-winning Lee said, “Many times, I yearned to be with my friends rather than be out there on the road.”
Turns out she made new friends on the road, like with the music group that opened for her at a 1962 show in Germany. “I hung out with John,” she says effortlessly, speaking of John Lennon. “He was extremely intelligent, very acerbic with his jokes, just a gentle person. When I found out that they later said they were fans of my music, I was just floored.”
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