What Will Happen To Brandy And Lane?
By The ShowBuzz's Caitlin A. Johnson
Singer Brandy Norwood and actor Lane Garrison both appear to be in serious legal trouble after being involved in fatal car accidents. Brandy is being sued for $50 million, and Garrison may face serious charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter.
Brandy and Garrison are just two of a number of public figures who have caused fatal car accidents — an event that not only mars their conscience, but also their reputation and career. Sen. Ted Kennedy, first lady Laura Bush and actress Rebecca Gayheart were all behind the steering wheel when someone lost their life. Now Brandy and Garrison are forced to navigate their way through personal tragedy and a potentially career-damaging scandal.
Public relations guru Mike Sitrick handled actress Halle Berry's publicity after she was implicated in a hit-and-run accident. He said at this juncture in Brandy and Garrison's cases, the legal strategy must drive the PR strategy, which depends on the circumstances of the accident.
"Everyone who drives has been in a car accident. But for the grace of God, you could have a fatality… If it was a tragic accident, I think everyone understands that. If there were drugs involved, if there was alcohol involved, that adds another dimension," he said.
Even if the celebrity is exonerated, when the public makes up its mind about a person's character, there is little the celebrity can do to redeem him or herself, Sitrick said.
Photos: Celebrity Mug Shots
"It's easy to say, make a great record, do a great film, but that doesn't address the image situation," he said.
It's too early to see what will happen to Brandy or Garrison; the facts of their cases are just beginning to come to light.
Almost a month ago, Brandy, a judge on "America's Got Talent" was driving her 2007 Land Rover down Los Angeles 405 Freeway at 65 miles per hour and evidently didn't realize traffic has slowed down. When she struck a 2005 Toyota, she set into motion a chain reaction that eventually resulted in the death of 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, a married mother of one. Brandy may face a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge and could spend up to a year in prison.
Attorney Harland Braun, who represents Garrison and represented Gayheart, said the misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge comes into play in the "there but for the grace of God" situations that often happen in traffic-heavy places like Los Angeles. Every day, he said, people make illegal U-turns and run red lights. Unfortunately, innocent people get in the way.
"What do you do with someone that goes through a red light? Put them state prison?" he told The ShowBuzz. "It would otherwise be an infraction. It's just hard for people to accept that your life could be wiped out by someone talking on a cell phone."
Braun said every state has similar laws in effect to protect people who did not behave with gross negligence while driving. For example, he said a person who is driving 100 miles per hour down the street and causes an accident that kills someone could be charged with gross vehicular manslaughter.
Garrison was driving when his SUV crashed and killed 17-year-old high school student Vahagn Setian and injured two 15-year-old girls just a few weeks before Brandy's accident. Braun said it's not clear what Garrison will be charged with, and a lot will depend on his blood alcohol content. Witnesses told TMZ that they saw Garrison snort lines of cocaine and take six or seven shots of vodka before the crash.
Traffic investigators recommended several serious charges: gross vehicular manslaughter with an enhancement for causing bodily injury or death to more than one victim, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs causing injury with enhancements for having a blood/alcohol level in excess of 0.15 percent and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Even so, Braun said someone can be driving down the street drunk and nothing happens.
"Intoxication has to cause an accident," said Braun, who also defended actor Robert Blake on murder charges.
Nearly six years, ago, former Noxema girl Gayheart swerved around several stopped cars and hit a 9-year-old boy who was crossing the street and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. She lost her license for one year, paid a $2,800 fine, performed 750 hours of community service and three years probation and was ordered to make service announcements. She went on to have a successful career with roles on "Nip/Tuck" and most recently the cancelled Fox series, "Vanished."
It seems like one celebrity or another is constantly in the news for a motor vehicle violation. Last year Paris Hilton and her "Simple Life" costar, Nicole Richie were both arrested on DUI charges, and no one would have heard Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic tirade if he hadn't been pulled over. But Officer Todd Workman Information Officer of the California Highway Patrol, said celebrities don't represent a disproportionate amount of motor-vehicle arrests.
"I can just speak from my area, you know they're out here, they (celebrities) are spread out and they come in different areas, Nicole (Richie) was the first big celeb we had in this area," he said. "I don't think they're more bad any more than anyone else, I think they're the same."
By Caitlin Johnson