Over the weekend, Bruce Jenner was involved in a car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway which resulted in one fatality. We heard various versions of the story as more details came out about the accident, which resulted in the death of a 69 year-old female driver. At first we heard that Bruce, who was driving an Escalade with an ATV trailing behind, had rear-ended the elderly woman’s car, a mid-sized Lexus sedan, which veered out into traffic and was hit by a Hummer. Then we heard that the Lexus may have stopped unexpectedly, triggering the crash. Now we’re hearing that yet another car stopped first, a Prius, which stopped in front of the Lexus, triggering the multi-car pile up.

There were similar incorrect initial stories claiming that Bruce may have been texting when he got into the accident. Some blurry far-away photos seemed to show this. Additional photos from the scene show that Bruce wasn’t holding a phone at all though, he was holding a cigarette and smoking. So as more information comes out, I do think it’s important not to blame Bruce. A woman has died and I’m sure he feels awful about it. We don’t know who was at fault in the accident, and sometimes horrible things just happen.

TMZ has the latest information, and it sounds like the accident was caused by yet another vehicle, as mentioned. We don’t know yet, though. Here’s more:

Bruce Jenner may not be the driver who caused a woman to die on PCH Saturday … because law enforcement tells TMZ they now believe the Prius that led the pack made a sudden stop, causing the Lexus to crash into it … BEFORE Bruce hit the Lexus.

As TMZ first reported … Sheriff’s deputies were suspicious of the story the Prius driver told. She said she was stopped at a red light, but she was 300 feet from the light. When cops asked her if there was a line of cars in front of her she was vague. Deputies think she might have been making an illegal U-turn.

So the current scenario is this … the Prius came to a sudden, possibly illegal stop on the highway. The Lexus hit the Prius and then Bruce slammed on his brakes, swerved right but was unable to stop, slamming into the Lexus. The Lexus then went into oncoming traffic and hit the Hummer, killing the Lexus driver.

It appears there is no criminal liability on Bruce’s part. As for civil liability, there is a law that you cannot follow too close and need to prepare for sudden events. But if the Prius stopped without warning … that driver could be at the very least partly responsible for the accident.

[From TMZ]

Bruce has issued a statement expressing his sympathy to the family of the victim. He sounds sincere here. Also, his publicist says that Bruce was not texting at all before the tragic accident.

“The evidence will show that Bruce was not texting at the time of the accident,” Alan Nierob said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials said Sunday that investigators will likely seek cellphone records for all the drivers to determine if distracted driving played a role in the four-vehicle crash on Pacific Coast Highway.

Jenner was driving a black Cadillac Escalade when he rear-ended a Lexus sedan that slammed into a Toyota Prius that had slowed down or stopped on the highway, sheriff’s Sgt. Philip Brooks said.

The Lexus veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a black Hummer.

The driver of the Lexus – Kim Howe 69, of Calabasas, California – was pronounced dead at the scene.

In his first comments since Saturday’s crash, Jenner called the accident “a devastating tragedy” and vowed to cooperate with investigators.

“My heartfelt and deepest sympathies go out to the family and loved ones, and to all of those who were involved or injured in this terrible accident,” Jenner said in a statement Sunday evening. “It is a devastating tragedy I cannot pretend to imagine what this family is going through at this time. I am praying for them.”

[From AP via Philly.com]

That was a thoughtful statement. Bruce focused on the family and their loss, as he should have. Like Bruce, I can’t imagine what they’re going through.

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View image | gettyimages.com