Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, could face a vehicular manslaughter
charge after sheriff's investigators found she was driving unsafely when
she caused a chain-reaction crash that killed a woman in February,
officials said Thursday.
Investigators
determined Jenner was driving at a speed "unsafe for the prevailing
road conditions," 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
was unable to stop in time and her SUV rear-ended two cars, pushing a
Lexus into oncoming traffic and also hitting a Toyota Prius. The Lexus
driver, 69-year-old Kim Howe, was killed when her car was struck head-on
by a Hummer.
Daniel
W. Vomhof, an accident reconstructionist, said the additional weight
from towing a loaded trailer makes it more difficult to stop a vehicle
quickly.
Sheriff's
officials do not make official recommendations on charges. However, the
investigation found enough evidence to support a vehicular manslaughter
count, Nishida said.
If convicted, Jenner could face up to one year in county jail.
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