Caitlyn Jenner Could Face Manslaughter Charge in Fatal Malibu Car Accident

Officials say Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner) could face a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge in connection with a fatal four-car accident in Malibu on February 7.  According to a CBS Los Angeles news report, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies will present the case for review of a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge against

Jenner. The ex-Olympian rear-ended a white Lexus with his Cadillac Escalade on Pacific Coast Highway near Corral Canyon Road.

Allegation of Unsafe Speed

The Lexus was pushed into oncoming traffic and crashed into a black Toyota Prius and a Hummer. Kim Howe, the 69-year-old driver of the Lexus was killed in the crash. Jenner, who now identified as a woman, was not injured in the crash. Officials say it is now up to prosecutors to determine if charges should be filed in this case.

Police investigators have ruled after an investigation that Jenner was traveling at an unsafe speed at the time, that she was traveling too fast for the roadway conditions at the time of the crash. Howe’s family has already filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jenner. The driver of the Prius, Jessica Marie Steindorff has also sued Jenner over the crash. Officials determined Jenner was not under the influence or distracted at the time of the crash. If convicted, she would face a year in jail.

What the Law States

California Vehicle Code Section 22350 (Basic Speed Law) states: “No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic and on surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property.” What this law means is that even if a driver is traveling at or under the speed limit, he or she is in violation of the law if traveling at a speed that is dangerous, given traffic, weather and roadway conditions.

In this particular case, it remains to be seen if the DA files a criminal manslaughter case against Jenner. In order to charge an individual with involuntary vehicular manslaughter, the driver must have been doing something they should not have been doing (something illegal) behind the wheel that caused the death of the other person. The deceased victim’s family as well as another injured victim have file civil claims as well against Jenner. As Los Angeles personal injury lawyers who represent car accident victims, we will be closely watching all of these cases.