14 DAY TRIAL // A shocking development in the mediated case of the Tony Stewart accident which resulted in the death of fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr. Investigators have decided to clear Stewart of all criminal charges since evidence found that Ward had marijuana in his system at the time of his death.
TMZ reports that the Ontario County Grand Jury in New York opted not to charge the driver Stewart with anything after the police report showed traces of marijuana in Ward's system. Also, the Jury took into consideration several recordings taken at the time of the accident, in order to better piece together what happened on the track.
Tony Stewart was believed to have intentionally run over Ward during a Sprint Cup Race
Tony Stewart came under fire from the media and the public after a recording surfaced online showing the incident. From the angle the cameraman had, it seemed like Tony Stewart purposely hit Ward as he stepped out on the track, aggressively seeking out Stewart's racer, after he spun out.
It seems Ward blamed Steward for his abandoning the race and wanted to confront the NASCAR champion. Stewart's racer caught Ward with one of its back wheels, ran him over and threw him violently on the side of the track.
Ward died later in the hospital due to internal blunt trauma injuries. Stewart later went into hiding as the public was divided into two camps: those who defended his actions and those who blamed him for the killing of young driver Ward.
Ward's family took to the media to speak out against Stewart on several occasions, but that doesn't seem to have swayed the jury which decided that the entire affair was nothing more than a freak accident.
The Grand Jury determined Stewart was not to blame after viewing several enhanced versions of video
An enhanced version of the video footage at the time of the accident indicated that Stewart did not make any sudden or suspicious movements prior to impact, which would indicate that he willingly changed the direction of the vehicle to hit Ward on purpose.
The fact that Ward had traces of Marijuana in his system at the time of death basically sealed the jury's conviction that Stewart was indeed not guilty.
Tony Stewart still might face legal charges, as Ward's family is threatening to sue
Since the accident, Tony has returned to racing, with moderate results, showing that he was still deeply affected about the entire incident. But he's still not out of the water, as he still may face legal charges. Ward's family has expressed their wish to file a legal suit against Stewart to “pursue remedies in fairness to Kevin.”
After the jury's decision was announced, Tony Stewart released a statement saying “While much of the attention has been on me, it’s important to remember a young man lost his life. Kevin Ward Jr.’s family and friends will always be in my thoughts and prayers.”