Aric Hutchinson’s settlement amount from the lawsuits over the April 2023 Folly Beach crash that killed his bride Samantha Miller totals more than $1 million across two rounds of civil settlements. The final piece, a $160,000 payment from the insurer of Jamie Lee Komoroski’s vehicle, was approved by a Charleston County circuit court judge on December 9, 2025. After attorney fees and costs, Hutchinson personally received $104,586.67 from that final payment. An earlier round of settlements in June 2024 had already netted roughly $863,000 for Hutchinson, Miller’s estate, and two other injured passengers.
The Final $160,000 Settlement
The December 2025 payment came from Drive New Jersey Insurance Co., which insured the car Komoroski was driving when she struck the golf cart carrying Hutchinson and Miller. The policy carried limits of $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence, but multiple victims made claims against it, which is why Hutchinson’s share came in at $160,000 rather than the per-person maximum.
Attorney fees and costs on that payment ran about $55,400. Hutchinson walked away with $104,586.67. The agreement also released Komoroski herself from any further civil liability.
The Earlier $1.6 Million Round
On June 18, 2024, Judge Roger Young approved settlements with the first group of defendants. The individual contributions were:
- Crab Shack: $640,000
- Drop-In Bar and Deli: $320,000
- Snapper Jacks: $320,000
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car: $240,000
- Progressive auto insurance, on Miller’s own policy: $75,000
That came to roughly $1.6 million in gross settlements. After attorney fees calculated at one-third of the total, plus $51,001.83 in litigation costs, approximately $863,000 was distributed among Hutchinson, Miller’s estate, and the two other passengers who were injured in the golf cart, Benjamin Garrett and Brogan Hutchinson. The public filings do not break out Hutchinson’s individual share of that distribution.
Taco Boy Paid Nothing
Five Folly Beach establishments were originally named in the wrongful death suit. El Gallo Bar and Grill was dropped early after producing a receipt showing Komoroski had not purchased alcohol there. Taco Boy, where Komoroski worked, remained a defendant the longest and was dismissed in September 2025 after Komoroski gave a deposition that the restaurant said showed the allegations against it were “wholly unsubstantiated.” Taco Boy and its insurers contributed nothing to the settlements.
Why the Bars Paid: Dram Shop Rules at the Time
South Carolina’s dram shop laws allowed the lawsuits against the bars accused of over-serving Komoroski before the crash. At the time the case settled, an establishment found even partially at fault could be held responsible for the full amount of damages, a rule considered favorable to plaintiffs and one that pushed settlement values up.
That framework changed on January 1, 2026, after the Hutchinson case had settled. A new state law caps an establishment’s liability at 50 percent of the plaintiff’s actual damages when both the drunk driver and the bar are found at fault, requires proof the establishment “knowingly” served an intoxicated person, mandates server training within 60 days of hire, and sets minimum liquor liability insurance at $1 million, with possible reductions to $300,000 for qualifying businesses. A case with the same facts filed today would run under those tighter rules.
Komoroski’s Criminal Sentence
The civil settlements ran alongside a criminal case. On December 2, 2024, Komoroski pleaded guilty before Judge Deadra Jefferson to felony DUI resulting in death, two counts of DUI causing great bodily injury, and reckless homicide. Her blood alcohol content after the crash was 0.261 percent, more than three times South Carolina’s 0.08 legal limit, and she had been driving 65 mph in a 25-mph zone.
Jefferson sentenced Komoroski to 25 years for the felony DUI death count, 15 years for the two great-bodily-injury counts, and 10 years for reckless homicide, all running concurrently. Her attorneys filed a motion to reconsider ten days later, arguing the 25-year sentence was “grossly disproportionate.” As of mid-2026, the Charleston County docket showed no ruling on that motion, and Komoroski remained incarcerated at the South Carolina Department of Corrections.