Chilling new photos and maps surfaced Monday from the New Jersey crash that killed NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother — and suggest the alleged drunken driver may not have been reckless when he smashed into them, the defense said.
The grisly snapshots — part of a recent court filing — show the tragic pair’s mangled bikes and the crushed front of driver Sean Higgins’ black SUV, while the schematics map out where the vehicle and brothers allegedly were when the crash occurred.
The newly revealed schematics suggest the collision occurred in a spot on the road that is different from what the police report said, according to the defense.
Cops have said the brothers were on the shoulder of the road when hit, while Higgins’ camp says they were in the roadway.
“There is no physical evidence that defines precisely where the point of impact was (either laterally or longitudinally) along the roadway,’’ an expert for the defense said in the new court documents.
“However, the location of the physical evidence established that the cyclists were within the northbound travel lane (and not on the extremely narrow shoulder) immediately prior to impact.
“An assumption that the cyclists were proceeding along the narrow shoulder is bizarre and inconsistent with science and logic.’’
Higgins’ lawyer also is arguing the Gaudreau brothers were riding without required bike lights and along a dark stretch of road.
“Even when simply accepting the police analysis at face value, it is unclear how this analysis establishes that Mr. Higgins was responsible for the occurrence of the subject collision event,’’ the defense expert said.
One of the images in the documents meanwhile showed a Trek road bike with the rear wheel missing and the front wheel completely bent in half, while another photo captured a Cervelo triathlon bike with a missing saddle and a bent rear wheel.
Higgins’ Jeep Grand Cherokee was also severely damaged, including a cracked windshield and a crumpled up front end of the car, the photos showed.
The images surfaced as Higgins was due to appear in court Monday afternoon in the case accusing him of drunkenly mowing down the hockey player brothers in 2024.
Higgins’ team included the images in court papers filed Oct. 5, as they argued that Salem County prosecutors should turn over certain evidence they used to reconstruct the crash — which Higgins’ lawyers are seeking to challenge with their own expert’s analysis.
Higgins, a 45-year-old army vet, is slated to go on trial Jan. 5 for allegedly driving while his blood alcohol was .087 and hitting the brothers as they were cycling on the side of the road in Oldmans Township on Aug. 29, 2024.
The legal blood alcohol limit for driving is .08.
The Gaudreaus – both dads – had been on their way back from their sister’s wedding rehearsal dinner when Higgins allegedly passed another car on the road and crashed into the duo.
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