News (USA)

Caitlyn Jenner may face vehicular manslaughter charge

Caitlyn Jenner may face vehicular manslaughter charge
Sheriff's investigators plan to recommend prosecutors file a vehicular manslaughter charge against Caitlyn Jenner for her role in the fatal car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu last February.
Sheriff’s investigators plan to recommend prosecutors file a vehicular manslaughter charge against Caitlyn Jenner for her role in the fatal car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu last February. AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File

LOS ANGELES — Sheriff’s investigators will present evidence to prosecutors for a vehicular manslaughter charge against Caitlyn Jenner for her role in a fatal car crash last February, officials said Thursday.

Investigators found that Jenner was driving “unsafe for the prevailing road conditions” when her SUV rear-ended a Lexus, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said.

Jenner was hauling an off-road vehicle on a trailer behind her Cadillac Escalade on Feb. 7 when she steered to avoid cars slowing for a traffic light in front of her on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

Jenner’s SUV rear-ended two cars, pushing the Lexus into oncoming traffic and also hitting a Prius. The Lexus driver, 69-year-old Kim Howe, was killed when her car was struck head-on by a Hummer.

The case will be presented to prosecutors for final review next week, Nishida said. The district attorney’s office will determine what charges Jenner ultimately faces.

If convicted of such a charge, Jenner could face up to one year in county jail.

Jenner’s attorney Blair Berk declined comment.

The fatal crash occurred months before Caitlyn Jenner’s transition.

Howe’s stepchildren have filed suit against Jenner claiming they’ve suffered enormous damages.

The lawsuit by Dana Redmond and William Howe does not specify how much they are seeking. They claim Jenner was negligent when she collided with their stepmother’s car, causing them and other relatives “great losses.”

Attorneys for Howe’s step-children, Dana Redmond and William Howe, did not immediately return email messages seeking comment.

Another woman, Jessica Steindorff, who was driving the Prius, also filed suit seeking unspecified damages. A phone message for Steindorff’s attorney, Brad Simon, was not immediately returned on Thursday.

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