14 DAY TRIAL // The American public is at the moment torn in two sides: one defending Tony Stewart and another blaming him for the death of fellow driver Kevin Ward during a race. Both sides provide arguments for their position and both are very vocal, being convinced that the other side is wrong.
After the accident, a preliminary police investigation concluded that Tony Stewart did not show any criminal intent when he hit Kevin Ward with his car in the middle of the race and subsequently killed him. Ontario Country Sheriff Philip Povero told the media that Stewart wasn't going to be presented with criminal charges because all evidence pointed to the fact that it was an accident.
“Investigators continue to seek witnesses, gather evidence and develop racetrack crash reconstruction,” Povero told during a press conference, adding that Stewart hasn't been charged with any crime, according to the NY Daily News.
Legal experts are now saying that this is not entirely true and that Stewart, a three-time NASCAR champion is still facing second-degree manslaughter charges under the New York legislation if the investigators determine that his reckless actions led to the death of another person.
The decision of whether Stewart acted or not in a reckless manner is definitely something for the courtroom and a jury to decide, but only if it comes to that. Placing the blame on someone is turning out to be a legal nightmare, because at the time of the accident, Ward had exited his vehicle and was actively seeking Stewart on the track.
Due to this, many believe that Wards has a significant portion of the blame in his demise and that Stewart's actions were merely an accident that he couldn't avoid.
As police and prosecutors try to determine the best course of action, Ward's family has already made its position clear and put the entire blame on Stewart. Ward's aunt took to Facebook to publicly blast and shame Stewart.
Meanwhile, people from the racing circuit are also coming forward and their conclusions are not exactly favorable for Stewart. Paul Kinney, also driving in the same race at the time of the accident, pointed out that exiting your vehicle in the middle of the race is not an uncommon practice, but accidents are seldom.
He added that he too saw the driver exit his car, but was able to avoid him with ease, “I drove right by him. He looked a little bit angry. I didn't think much of it. A lot of drivers do that.” He then went on to say that “I seen Kevin clear as day. Nobody else ran into him, either,” somehow hinting that Stewart was to blame for the fatal crash.