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Caitlyn Jenner will not be charged over fatal Malibu crash

Kim Howe, 69, died in the crash

Kashmira Gander
Wednesday 30 September 2015 15:58 EDT
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Caitlyn Jenner was driving a Cadillac Escalade during the incident
Caitlyn Jenner was driving a Cadillac Escalade during the incident

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Caitlyn Jenner will not be charged in connection with a fatal car crash in Malibu due to a lack of evidence, according to prosecutors.

The reality TV star was driving a Cadillac Escalade which was towing a trailer carrying a dune buggy on the Pacific Coast Highway, when she slammed into two other cars, according to authorities.

As a result, a white Lexus being driven by 69-year-old Kim Howe was pushed by Jenner's vehicle across a centre divider and into oncoming traffic. A Hummer then hit the car head-on, killing Ms Howe.

Ms Jenner’s vehicle also rear-ended a black Toyota Prius at the time, injured driver Jessica Steindorff.

The former Olympic champion was not seriously injured in the crash and declined medical treatment, authorities said at the time.

Ms Jenner was driving slightly below the speed limit and “minimally slower than the victim” and braked 1.9 to 1.5 seconds before the collision, according to a summary of the investigation released by the district attorney's office.

However, prosecutors in Los Angeles has since decided that it was not possible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Jenner’s conduct was unreasonable prior to the crash.

The families of Steindorff and Howe have, however, sued Jenner. As civil cases often have less a stringent burden of proof than criminal courts, the outcomes of those cases may well be different.

A spokeswoman for Howe's attorney could not immediately be reached following the district attorney's decision on Wednesday.

Ms Jenner rose to fame as a gold medal-winning, record-breaking athlete in the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, before she came out as a transgender woman.

She was cast into the spotlight once more on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, before she came out as transgender on national TV in April.

Reality TV show I am Cait has since documented her transition.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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