Bruce Jenner Crash: No Criminal Charges, But What About Civil Suit?

Bruce Jenner’s role in a multi-car crash that left one woman dead likely won’t result in any criminal charges.

What he should worry about, however, is a wrongful death suit, a California-based criminal defense attorney told FoxNews. Such a suit would “reach deep into (Jenner’s) pockets.”

The crash occurred on February 7 on the Pacific Coast Highway. Jenner was reportedly hauling an off-road vehicle behind his Cadillac Escalade when he rear-ended a Prius that was slowing for a traffic light. This shoved the Lexus into oncoming traffic. The car was struck by a Hummer and the 70-year-old driver was killed. One attorney described the potential repercussions for Jenner to People.

“The car that rear-ended the Prius is legally required to be at a speed to enable that car to stop, and likewise, Jenner had to be traveling a speed and paying enough attention to enable him to stop to avoid crashing into the other car that was also at that point stopped.”

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office has asked investigators to turn over their findings about the crash, the Inquisitr previously reported. However, Bruce will probably not serve time for vehicular manslaughter – but that’s not because he’s famous, the attorney continued.

“If he’s going at a really excessive speed, if he’s under the influence of alcohol or a drug, if [Bruce was] texting, these would certainly be things that a prosecutor would want to explore, but most drivers that are involved in fatality crashes – even when it’s their fault – are not charged with vehicular manslaughter. It’s very unlikely he would be charged with a criminal [offense], and if he was charged, it would only be because he’s Bruce Jenner.”

Generally, these kinds of collisions are considered an accident. For Bruce Jenner to be charged criminally, prosecutors would have to show that he was negligent in the crash – meaning he wasn’t paying attention flouted traffic laws, or was texting, added Fox News. If he was convicted, a negligence charge would land Bruce in jail for about a year.

“But this is not likely at all given it is Jenner’s first brush with the law.”

The sky is the limit if a civil suit is filed by the family of the woman killed, an attorney told People.

“For a fatality, let’s say the jury awards $10 million for the death of this person, and let’s say he has only $1 million in liability coverage, he could be on the hook personally for the balance of $9 million. He may or may not have sufficient insurance coverage to pay a judgment. (Bruce’s) personal assets could be at stake.”

[Photo Courtesy Getty Images]