On Thursday evening, tragedy struck when Johnny Gaudreau a key forward for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his brother Matthew Gaudreau were fatally injured in a bicycle accident in New Jersey. The brothers were riding on a rural road in Oldmans Township, Salem County, about 30 miles south of Philadelphia, where they were due to attend their sister's wedding the next day. Both were struck and killed by a vehicle.
The New Jersey State Police reported that the driver, Sean Higgins, 43, of Woodstown, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. He now faces two counts of vehicular homicide and is being held at the Salem County Correctional Facility. Details about Higgins' first court appearance are not yet available.
First-degree vehicular homicide carries a sentence of 10-20 years per charge, meaning Higgins could easily face more than 20 years in prison. He may also be fined up to $200,000 per death.
The Gaudreau brothers were set to be groomsmen at their sister's wedding in Philadelphia, making this tragedy even more heartbreaking. Johnny Gaudreau is survived by his wife, Meredith, and their two young children, Noa and Johnny, both born in Columbus.
Source: The Columbus DispatchNJ man arrested in suspected drunk-driving crash that killed Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau
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30 AOUT | 445 ANSWERS Sean Higgins' likely sentence for the killing of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau unveiled Do you think Sean Higgins deserves to be behind bars for more than 20 years for the killing of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau? | ||
Yes | 402 | 90.3 % |
No | 43 | 9.7 % |
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