Feb 1, 2008 11:48 pm US/Eastern
Report: Leyritz' Crash Victim Drunk Behind Wheel
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
A toxicology report shows that former Major League ballplayer Jim Leyrtiz was not the only one with blood alcohol above the legal limit. The woman whom he is allegedly charged with crashing into and killing also had twice the legal blood alcohol limit.
In a report obtained by
CBS news partners
The Miami Herald, the toxicology report showed that the victim, Freida Veitch, had more than two times the legal limit: blood alcohol level of 0.18 taken on 12/28/07. Leyritz was shown to have just under two times the legal limit at a blood alcohol level of 0.14 taken on the same day.
CBS4 contacted Leyritz' attorney who issued a statement saying, "When both drivers have an elevated blood alcohol level the issue of causation is paramount and a precrash investigation must be handled thoroughly"
It was only yesterday that the Leyritz pleaded not guilty to a new charge of DUI manslaughter with an unlawful alcohol level.
During a hearing in Ft. Lauderdale, a judge ordered 44-year Jim Leyritz to blow into a machine three times a day to prove he has not been drinking while he awaits trial. The breathalyzer machine uses voice recognition technology to confirm it's Leyritz's breath sample it is analyzing, and it transmits the results via a phone.
Last December Leyritz, who played for the New York Yankees, allegedly crashed his 2006 Ford Expedition into a vehicle driven by 30-year old Fredia Ann Veitch at SW 7th Avenue and 2nd Street by the Performing Arts Center. Veitch, who was thrown from her Mitsubishi Montero on impact, died at Broward General Medical Center.
He was originally charged with DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage and released on bond. The additional charge of DUI manslaughter with an unlawful blood-alcohol level was added after toxicology results showed his blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit the day of the deadly crash.
David Bogenschutz, Leyritz's lawyer, said he plans to contest the reported blood alcohol level.
Leyritz, who has a long list of citations on his driving record including a license suspension in New York, is free on an $11-thousand bond. In his career, Leyritz played for six major league teams, starred in the 1996 World Series and was last in the majors in 2000.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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