South Carolina Bride Killed on Wedding Day

On May 1 2023, a Facebook account shared a status update stating that a young woman named Samantha was killed in a golf cart crash on her wedding day when another cart, driven by someone who was reportedly intoxicated, slammed into it at high speed.

The status update was shared by someone named Michael Peifer, and it said:

I am so heartbroken to share that on Friday April 28, 2023 a young lady was driving intoxicated on Folly Beach, traveling 65 miles per hour and hit the golf cart carrying 4 people from a wedding that I was honored to be involved with at Pelican Watch on Folly, tragically ending the life of the beautiful Bride, Samantha only minutes after leaving her perfect wedding. The accident has left her new husband Aric in critical condition and badly injured two others on the golf cart. The link below is a Gofundme set up by the Grooms Mother Annette to help pay for hospital bills.

PLEASE pray for this family and give if you can. They were such a sweet couple, many smiles, laughs and tears at such a perfect wedding. ????

Peifer linked to a GoFundMe campaign established on May 1 2023, “Sam and Aric.” The campaign was organized by the groom’s mother, Annette Hutchinson, and its text reiterated the details of the Facebook post.

Hutchinson provided further details about the accident, and added that her son remained hospitalized, along with his brother-in-law:

Hi, my name is Annette Hutchinson, I am the mother of Aric Hutchinson, the groom. Aric lost the love of his life when my new daughter-in-law Samantha “Sam” Hutchinson was tragically killed by a drunk driver moments after the picture above while leaving her wedding reception on April 28th [2023] in Folly Beach, South Carolina. My son is now in critical condition.

My son-in-law Benjamin Garrett and grandson Brogan Garrett from Morgan, Utah were escorting the couple from the reception in a golf cart when they were struck from behind by a drunk driver traveling 65 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. The golf cart was thrown over 100 yards and rolled several times.

Sam died from her injuries. Aric is in serious condition and has had one of two reconstruction surgeries, numerous broken bones, and a brain injury, he will have a long recovery. Ben and Brogan were also injured, Ben seriously.

Hutchinson added:

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. Aric has lost the love of his life.

This fundraiser will help pay for Sam’s burial and medical costs for Aric and his family.

The couple made their home in both the groom’s home state of Utah and the state of South Carolina. The bride is from North Carolina.

The groom graduated from Bonneville High School in South Ogden, Utah and played college football for Snow College and Utah Tech.

Google Trends data demonstrated significant interest in the tragic events described in the Facebook post. On May 1 2023, South Carolina’s WYFF published “Family of [South Carolina] bride killed in golf cart crash releases photos, video of wedding taken minutes before,” reporting:

The family of a South Carolina bride killed leaving her wedding reception in Folly Beach released photos and video taken at the reception just minutes before [on April 28 2023].

Samantha “Sam” Hutchinson, 34, was killed Friday [April 28 2023,] and her new husband was critically injured when the golf cart they left their reception in was hit by [an allegedly intoxicated] driver, police said … Police said one person in the golf cart died and the three others were injured.

On May 2 2023, CNN.com covered the story, drawing largely from the details shared alongside the GoFundMe campaign. The article named the bride as Samantha Miller (Hutchinson), and reported that she was killed at the scene:

Three other passengers were injured [in the collision], two seriously — including Miller’s husband, according to Chief Andrew Gilreath, the public safety director for Folly Beach, a beachside community near Charleston.

The golf cart-style vehicle, decorated with cans and a “just married” sign, “was quite mangled, and it was on its side,” Gilreath said. First responders attempted to revive Miller, but she died at the scene, he said.

A viral May 1 2023 Facebook post asserted that a South Carolina bride was killed moments after her wedding, after an allegedly intoxicated driver collided with a golf cart carrying the newly married couple. News outlets and a GoFundMe identified the bride as Samantha Miller, and confirmed that she died at the scene on April 28 2023. Her new husband Aric Hutchinson survived; he and Miller’s brother were both seriously injured. Local police confirmed the details of the post to the media. The story is true, and the post and the fundraiser are accurate and legitimate.