The family of a woman who was killed by a drunk driver hours after exchanging vows in South Carolina last month shared the last words she spoke to her new husband before the deadly collision.
Lisa Miller, the mother of Samantha Miller, said she spoke with her daughter's husband Aric Hutchinson in the hospital, who told her the heartbreaking details of the moments before the crash.
"She looked at him on a golf cart and said, 'I want this day, this evening, to last forever,' on the golf cart right before it happened," Miller said on TODAY.
Samantha Miller and Aric Hutchinson had just finished celebrating at their reception in Folly Beach, South Carolina, on April 28, when a suspected drunk driver slammed into their golf cart from behind, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by NBC affiliate WYFF.
Samantha Miller, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the groom and two other family members on the golf cart, which had lights and was legal to drive at night, were seriously injured, according to the affidavit.
Miller said once she heard the sirens, she knew something had happened to her daughter, known as Sam to friends and family.
"I don’t know how I did," Miller said. "But I'm like, 'Something happened to Sam.' I literally screamed it. And that's when I called her and she didn’t answer."
Authorities charged Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, with one count of reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily harm, police said.
Investigators told the Associated Press Komoroski was traveling at 65 mph and briefly hit the brakes before the collision, citing data from her vehicle. The speed limit in Folly Beach, about 10 miles outside of Charleston, is 25 mph.
According to a toxicology report obtained by NBC News, Komoroski had a blood alcohol level of 0.261, which is more than three times the legal limit.
Folly Beach Police also released a photo of the collision, showing a mangled golf cart and vehicle.
Christopher J. Gramiccioni, an attorney for Komoroski, said in a statement to NBC News her legal team "cannot fathom what the families are going through" and offer their "deepest sympathies."
"We simply ask that there not be a rush to judgment," Gramiccioni said. "Our court system is founded upon principles of justice and mercy and that is where all facts will come to light."
Hundreds of people joined Sam Miller and Aric Hutchinson’s family at a memorial on Saturday, paddling out into the ocean and placing flowers with her name on them into the ocean to honor her memory.
Aric Hutchinson, who is recovering from his injuries, told ABC affiliate WCIV it has been amazing to see outpouring of support from the community.
"It’s a little overwhelming but sincere, genuine, good-hearted people reached out and were touched by Sam, it just means the world that she left that impact," he said.
A GoFundMe started by the groom’s mother has raised more than $720,000 to help cover medical and burial costs.
Mandi Jenkins, Sam Miller's sister, said on TODAY her family is still grieving the loss.
"We’re sad. We’re very sad. We have our very crying moments, angry moments, our screaming moments," Jenkins said. "But we’re trying to just let the world know how beautiful she was."
Miller shared what was going through her mind while she watched her daughter exchange her vows.
"Oh, it was beautiful. My first thought was Sam finally has all the love that she’s ever wanted," Miller said. "Because Eric is an equal, both their hearts are just so pure and loving and all they want to do is make sure that everybody is okay and feels good and feels happy."
"The dance floor was lit up," she continued. "Everybody just was celebrating Sam and Eric and there was so much happiness."
Miller said what justice looks like to her is a tough question to answer.
"I don’t really want (Komoroski) to get out and do it to somebody else. I don’t want anybody to ever have to experience that. A lot of people refer to it as an accident and we feel like it’s not an accident," Miller said. "She made that conscious decision, so it’s not an accident."
