Speeding was reportedly a factor in the death of Sophia Hutchins, according to new details about the shock car crash.
Hutchins, who was the best friend of Caitlyn Jenner, died in an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident on Wednesday, July 2, at the age of 29.
She collided with another car on a road near the former Kardashians star’s home, causing her to fall into a ‘350 feet ravine’, US outlets reported at the time.
New details have now emerged from the Daily Mail, with officers claiming Hutchins was speeding at the time of the crash.
‘It looks like she may have been speeding and rear-ended the other car, the other party, and then that caused her to veer to the right and go off the cliff,’ Sergeant Eduardo Saucedo told the outlet.
‘It doesn’t seem like she was following them. I think she just she came up on them and then hit the car,’ the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sergeant stated.
The two women in the grey Mazda, which Hutchins reportedly tried to manoeuvre around, were uninjured. One was reportedly a real estate agent showing homes in the local area.
Sgt. Saucedo added: ‘So it looked like she tried to manoeuvre to go around it, but she was going too fast and just ended up clipping the rear end of that Mazda, causing her to veer off and go off the cliff there.’
Jenner allegedly came down to the scene, which occurred at 11.30am, a quarter of a mile south of her home on Decker Edison Road.
The I Am Cait star, who recently returned from Israel, is ‘numb with shock’ according to an insider who spoke to RadarOnline.com.
‘She is absolutely devastated and can’t believe what’s happened. Sophia was a big part of her life.’
Jenner spent the Fourth of July holiday weekend away from the public eye, only leaving her home for a solo coffee run.
She has not given a public statement, beyond telling the Daily Mail she is struggling through ‘tough times’ surrounding the loss.
This isn’t the first time Jenner’s life has been impacted by a fatal car crash, as she previously rear-ended another car while driving her Cadillac Escalade.
In 2015, the I’m A Celebrity star was towing a trailer when traffic ahead of her slowed rapidly, resulting in her hitting a Lexus in a four-car crash.
Kimberly Howe, 70, died at the scene but prosecutors for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office did not press charges for vehicular manslaughter.
At the time, they stated they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Jenner’s actions were negligent or unreasonable as she had attempted to brake prior to the impact.
Jenner and Hutchins met in 2015 through their hairstylist when the former announced her transition and they have been by each others’ side ever since.
Hutchins, who was the CEO of a now-defunct beauty brand, was just starting her own transition at the time they met and was thought to have been inspired by Jenner.
She was hired as the former Olympian’s business manager, but their bond was deeper than that, as she appeared in multiple episodes of her E! reality series I Am Cait and became friends with the Jenner family.
The pair were rumoured to be romantically involved by both stated this was not the case
‘We have so much in common; we see the world so similarly, and we both are such a good match for each other because we challenge each other,’ Hutchins once said of their relationship in an interview with The Hidden Truth with Jim Breslo.
‘She challenges me in so many ways, has allowed me to grow in so many ways, and I hope I challenge her to grow, and I think because we share so many of the same passions and views, it’s just a great match, a great partnership.’
Metro has reached out to Jenner’s team for comment.
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