One of the legendary clutch hitters in World Series and New York Yankee postseason history is facing the fight of his life on a Florida DUI charge that could result in a long DUI prison sentence. Former Yankee catcher Jim Leyritz is getting ready to be tried on a DUI manslaughter charge in a Fort Lauderdale courtroom stemming from a 2007 crash.
According to prosecutors as reported in a blog post on CNN.com, Leyritz was out celebrating his 44th birthday when he decided to get behind the when of his Sport Utility Vehicle after a “alcohol-fueled” celebration. He allegedly ran through a red light and crashed into Fredia Veitch. The 30-year-old mother of two died in the crash. It was determined following the crash that Leyritz was driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.14.
The reason the case could be problematic for prosecutors is that court records show Veitch was also intoxicated at the time of the crash. Her blood-alcohol level was higher than Leyritz’s at 0.18. The defense is going to use the fact that the woman was drunk, along with alleging that she was distracted on her cell phone, speeding and driving with her lights off and they will also challenger the fact that Leyritz ran a red light claiming it was yellow at the time he went through the intersection.
The case will revolve around the seconds leading up to the fatal crash that lead to the DUI manslaughter charge. Leyritz’s DUI defense lawyers will have their accident reconstruction experts battle those from the state and that may be where the case is decided. There has also been an issue with discovery in the case. The prosecutors admitted a violation but said that it occurred before the trial ever started but the defense has been granted a hearing on that issue, which CNN reported as a minor victory for the lawyers defending Leyritz.
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