14 DAY TRIAL // In February this year, Caitlyn Jenner (then still going by the birth name Bruce) was involved in a 4-vehicle crash in Malibu that killed one of the motorists. Jenner caused the crash by driving too fast and rear-ending a near stationary car in front, which sent it spinning into incoming traffic.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department has concluded its investigation in the case, and will pass it over to the DA with the recommendation to prosecute Jenner for vehicular manslaughter, TMZ has learned.
Jenner was driving too fast
According to the 161-page report, Jenner wasn’t driving above the speed limit, but it was still too fast for the road conditions. Because traffic ahead had almost stopped, Jenner should have stopped too or moved slowly towards the other cars.
Jenner, however, came in with speed and slammed in the back of the car in front with enough force to send it spinning into the other lane, where it was hit by an incoming vehicle. That one too was moving at a high speed, but the driver did nothing wrong.
TMZ says that Jenner acted in violation of the Penal Code section 192(c)(2), “the misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter law,” for which she risks a sentence of up to one year in county jail, if found guilty.
The case will go up for review with the DA next week, so more details will emerge soon.
Jenner moved on from the crash as if it never happened
Shortly after the crash, Bruce Jenner issued a statement to express his regret at having been the cause of it and to send his condolences to the family of the driver who died.
A few weeks later and reportedly against his family’s advice, he signed a deal with E! for the current docu-series I Am Cait, continued with his plans to transition to female, and decided to stick to the schedule he had for coming out.
This included, in a first stage, an exclusive interview with Diane Sawyer, which aired in April.
The victim’s family never stopped publicly criticizing him for the decision, saying that he could have waited until at least the investigation concluded and he was cleared of blame in the crash. Some media outlets sided with this view, saying it felt as if Jenner was being disrespectful towards their loss by refusing to temporarily halt his plans to bank on his transition.