Bruce Jenner involved in a deadly four-car pileup in Malibu that left one dead, five injured
Bruce Jenner blamed a pursuing pack of paparazzi Saturday for a horrific California four-car pileup that left one woman dead and five more hospitalized.
The fatal wreck occurred on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, with one-time Olympic gold medalist Jenner fortunately able to walk away from the carnage, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Matt Dunn.
A 1-month-old baby inwards a Hummer involved in the wreck also escaped without injury, authorities said.
The pony-tailed Jenner, 65, who is reportedly transitioning from a man to a woman, was fleeing five photographers when his Cadillac Escalade rear-ended a white Lexus, sources in his family told TMZ.
The chain-reaction wreck at 12:12 p.m. killed the woman at the wheel of the Lexus while scattering lumps of glass, plastic and shredded steel on the highway.
A witness told USA Today that photographers stood snapping photos of the shaken Jenner — who was driving the Escalade — in the minutes after the harrowing fatal accident.
“It happened so swift,” said Veronica Bermudez, an employee at the nearby Malibu Roadhouse who echoed Jenner’s charge about the pursue by the celebrity shutterbugs.
“They (paparazzi) were here right away,” she told the newspaper. “How could they have gotten here that rapid otherwise? I don’t know why they have to go after him, and not just leave him alone.”
Photos captured the actual moment of influence when Jenner’s black SUV slammed into the rear of the stopped Lexus. Jenner slammed on the brakes, leaving skidmarks in his wake before the massive crash, said Sgt. Philip Brooks of the sheriff’s department.
But the sergeant disputed the reports of a paparazzi pursue preceding the wreck.
“That wouldn’t make a entire lot of sense, but it’s always possible,” said Brooks. “We can’t confirm that.”
Bruce Jenner was involved in car crash on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu that left one dead and several people injured.
A woman was killed, Los Angeles County authorities said.
The SUV with a trailer belonging to TV starlet Bruce Jenner is seen at the scene of the crash.
The reality demonstrate starlet and former decathlon champ became the center of massive media attention in latest weeks over reports that he was going to become a woman.
Jenner was photographed at the crash scene with his hair in a long ponytail, wearing a light blue long-sleeve T-shirt, a baseball cap and sunglasses.
He passed a field sobriety test and went to a nearby hospital in the back of a police car to provide a blood sample, according to Brooks.
“He is not under any investigation right now as far as driving while intoxicated,” the sergeant said. “Mr. Jenner did not emerge to be injured in the accident, nor does it emerge he was the cause of the accident.”
The white Lexus bounced off a Prius stopped in front of the car, careened into traffic and was plowed into head-on by the Humvee. Jenner’s vehicle was towing an off-road racing vehicle at the time of the crash.
A Los Angeles County coroner worker geysers a victim into a van at the scene of the four-car crash.
Photos on TMZ.com displayed Jenner standing near the wreckage of the white car — its front end caved in, its trunk twisted and popped open and its windshield shattered.
The front driver’s side of the Humvee also suffered significant harm in the deadly crash on a spread of highway overlooking the ocean just south of Coral Canyon.
Reality display dearest Jenner was treated as a precaution by an ambulance at the scene. His publicist, Alan Nierob, without providing any details about the wreck or his client, confirmed the retired former world-class athlete was uninjured.
Cops shut down the typically busy highway in both directions in the aftermath of the wreck. A rescue helicopter was spotted near the crash site, evidently to ferry one victim to the hospital.
Cops could not confirm the names of anyone but Jenner, and the official details remained somewhat sketchy.
“The investigation is continuing,’ said Brooks.
Hours after the accident, a car drove through barriers and ended up in the crash scene.
Jenner’s mother confirmed her son’s gender-switch in an interview, and Jenner was recently spotted sporting long, flowing locks, diamond stud earrings, manicured tears up and lipstick.
People magazine also reported on the hookup switch, quoting a source as telling “he’s in such a excellent space. He has come out to those closest to him.”
Jenner was married for twenty two years to Kris Kardashian, the matriarch of the Kardashian clan, and became famous again via the reality display “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” The duo divorced in December.
Aerial view of wreckage in Malibu.
Bruce Jenner is photographed at the scene of fatal wreck on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
Jenner, who has been making headlines for his apparent transition to a woman, survived deadly crash.
His marriage to Kris was Jenner’s third, and he is the father of six — including model Kendall Jenner — and stepdad to the famous Kardashian sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe, and their brother, Rob.
Son Brody Jenner, accompanied by his gf, rushed to the crash scene — where he updated other family members via cell phone. A spokesman for Kim Kardashian did not come back a call for comment.
The Jenner vehicle was towing a UTV, an off-roading racing vehicle, at the time of the crash.
Just three months ago, Jenner survived a wreck in the annual Baja one thousand off-road race, crashing a $500,000 truck. Neither Jenner nor his racing pal, son Burt, were injured in the crash.
Jenner became a national hero and role model in the bicentennial summer of 1976, landing on the front of Wheaties boxes after winning the decathlon at the Summer Games in Montreal.
But earlier this week, Jenner’s mom said she was more satisfied for her son over his decision to become a woman than she was when he won the gold medal.
“If he can help other people with emotional problems, then it will all be worth it,” said 88-year-old Esther Jenner to RadarOnline.com.
“I’ve never been more proud of Bruce for who he is, himself as a father, as an Olympian, a wonderful public speaker.”
Jenner’s switch will be documented by the E! Network, the same network that runs the Kardashian showcase.
Nancy Dillon reported from Malibu, Calif.