Feb 14, 2008 10:50 am US/Eastern
Witness: Leyritz Distracted Before Fatal Crash
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
A man riding with former baseball player Jim Leyritz the night they were involved in a fatal crash says Leyritz got distracted just before running a traffic light.
Bruce Barger, a 20-year-old from West Chester, Pa., told police Leyritz reached for something or was adjusting his Ford Expedition's radio before the crash.
Court documents released Wednesday show Barger told police he saw the light turning red and said "whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa ... something like that" before the crash.
Barger also said that Leyritz seemed composed and was not swerving before the crash.
Leyritz, 44, has pleaded not guilty to charges of DUI manslaughter by unlawful blood-alcohol level in the Dec. 28 crash that killed Plantation mother Fredia Veitch.
A toxicology report released after the crash showed Vietch had a blood alcohol level of 0.18, more than two times the legal limit. Leyritz' toxicology report states he had a blood alcohol level of 0.14, just under two times the legal limit. The legal limit in Florida is .08.
Earlier this month, a judge ruled Leyritz is not allowed to drive and must remain sober. He has 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.
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 awaiting trial, which is scheduled to start in May.
Leyritz played for six major league teams and was last in the majors in 2000, ending his 11-year career.
(© 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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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