Caitlyn Jenner won’t be charged over fatal California car crash
By Will Stroude
Caitlyn Jenner will not face criminal charges over a fatal car accident in California that left one woman dead earlier this year, prosecutors have revealed.
The Los Angeles District Attorney Office announced in a statement yesterday (September 30) that it rejected the case against Jenner because it could not be shown that the former Olympian had acted in an “unreasonable” manner just before the crash.
The incident on California’s Pacific Coast Highway on February 7 left eight people injured and one woman dead.
Jenner’s vehicle hit the back of two cars, pushing one of them – a Lexus – into oncoming traffic, where it was hit by an oncoming Hummer. The driver of the Lexus, 69-year-old Kim Howe, was killed.
The investigation found that the 65-year-old was travelling “slightly below posted speed limit and minimally slower than victim”, and had hit the breaks seconds before impact.
A spokesperson for Jenner told Digital Spy in the wake of the announcement: “We believed from the start that a thorough and objective investigation would clear Caitlyn of any criminal wrongdoing.
“We are heartened the District Attorney has agreed that even a misdemeanor charge would be inappropriate. A traffic accident, however devastating and heartbreaking when a life is lost, is not necessarily a criminal matter.”
Despite not facing criminal charges, Jenner is facing a separate wrongful death lawsuit filed by the children of Kim Howe, who accuse her of driving negligently and are seeking damages over their “great losses.”