The ex-Yankees star Jim Leyritz, 45, is facing a DUI Manslaughter charge, scheduled for trial on September 14. Leyritz was involved in a car accident in the early hours of the morning on a dark December day in 2007. He allegedly ran a red light and his blood alcohol concentration exceeded the 0.08 percent. Fredia Ann Veitch, who was 30 years old at the time of the accident, was in the car that collided with the one Leyritz was driving. Veitch was driving home from her shift at a local restaurant. Complicating the case significantly is the fact that Veitch was also driving under the influence of alcohol. She was killed as a result of the accident. Witnesses stated that Leyritz was the driver who ran the stop light, although Veitch's BAC was higher than Leyritz's. Now, Leyritz is haunted. He wants to return to his days as a popular former ball player, but not believes he is perceived wrongly. He insists that he did not cause the accident. Leyritz has sold off expensive baseball-related items to cover his expenses and has told reporters that he cries thinking of the accident. He is sorry that Veitch's death occurred, but not remorseful because he believes he was not at fault. Leyritz also says he is not now- and has never been - an alcoholic. Still, he has been pushed out of the charity work he used to enjoy and even hounded by news reporters when attending church. "There was no possibility of me avoiding that crash with all of my senses. A mother was taken away from her kids. I can't change that. But I didn't do it. The accident did. And that accident wasn't my fault," Leyritz insisted. Most of all, he said, he wants to be cleared and to move forward with his life.Contact the Musca Law Miami DUI attorneys as soon as possible following a DUI arrest.
Former Yankees Player Speaks Out About DUI Arrest
May 23, 2009
