Newly released bodycam footage reveals the behaviour of Jamie Lee Komoroski, the drunk driver who killed a bride on her wedding night, as she complained to officers and asked, 'why are you being so mean?'
Arrest footage shows defiance
Komoroski, 27, was driving a rented Toyota Camry after drinking in Folly Beach, South Carolina, when she crashed into a golf cart carrying the bride, Samantha Hutchinson, 34, groom Aric Hutchinson, 36, and two wedding guests as they left their beachside reception on April 28, 2023. She was travelling at 65mph in a 25mph zone.
In the footage, shared by Live 5 News, Komoroski pleads with officers to call her father, claiming 'nobody had any proof' she did anything wrong. She is heard screaming 'is she okay' and telling officers she had one drink and a beer in the last hour.
Pleading and complaining
Another video shows Komoroski arguing with officers when they refused her request to call her father. 'I can't call my dad?' she asked, before stating, 'Well, what did I do?' She defiantly added, 'Nobody has any proof of anything that I did, so give me the right to call my dad.'
At the police station, she cried and continued to complain, saying, 'I just wanna like, get this over with and go home.' Spotting the camera, she ranted: 'Oh, hi camera, yeah I'm crying because he's not letting me call my f****** father, even though they haven't proven s*** and don't have any right for me not to be able to contact my family or anyone that I want to, so yeah, hello, I'm crying.' In a mocking tone, she added: 'Ooh, I'm being just a little baby,' as reported by the New York Post.
Crash and aftermath
Aric Hutchinson suffered a brain injury and broken bones. He filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Komoroski in May 2023. According to court documents obtained by WCBD in Charleston, Komoroski admitted to officers that she drank one beer and one tequila before driving, but 'strongly refused and became uncooperative' when asked to take a field sobriety test.
The arresting officer testified that Komoroski had trouble standing and strongly smelled of alcohol. She was taken to Charleston County Jail, where a court-ordered blood test showed her blood-alcohol level was 0.261 – more than three times the legal limit to drive.
Four people were in the golf cart, including the newlyweds. Samantha Hutchinson was killed in the wreck. Aric Hutchinson and Benjamin Garrett were hospitalised in serious condition, according to a GoFundMe post by the groom's mother, Annette Hutchinson.
