New images surfaced on Monday showing the aftermath of the New Jersey crash that killed NHL superstar Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in the summer of 2024.
The images, included in a recent court filing by the attorneys of defendant and accused killer Sean Higgins, show the mangled remains of the bicycles the brothers were riding at night a day before their sister’s wedding.
Photos of the SUV being driven by Higgins, who is accused of hitting the siblings with his car that he was driving while intoxicated, were also added.
A schematic in the filing also detailed the map where the crash allegedly occurred, with Higgins’ attorneys arguing they prove he wasn’t reckless before hitting the pair.
Police claim the brothers were on the shoulder of the road when they were hit, but the defense says they were in the middle of the road.
‘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.
Defense attorneys in the trial for the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau released new photos of the crash scene that led to the passing of the two hockey playing brothers
Photo showing the damage to the SUV driven by Sean Higgins following the wreck
Photo showing the damage to one of the bicycles being ridden by one of the brothers
‘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 claims the Gaudreau brothers were traveling without required bike lights on a dark part of the 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 expert for the defense said.
Among the images in the documents included a Trek road bike with a rear wheel missing and the front wheel bent in half completely.
Meanwhile, a different photo showed a Cervelo triathlon bike with a missing saddle and a bent rear wheel.
Another image of Higgins’ black Jeep Grand Cherokee showed extensive damage to the front end – including to the bumper, the headlights, the hood and quarter panels.
The images were released as Higgins was due to appear in court on Monday afternoon in the case where he is accused of drunkenly striking and killing the pair in the summer of 2024.
Another photo shwos the wreckage of another one of the Gaudreau brother’s bicycles
Attorneys for Higgins (R) claim this evidence will help prove their client was not at fault
The defense team added the images in court papers filed on October 5, arguing Salem County prosecutors should turn over evidence they used to reconstruct the crash.Higgins’ team is hoping to challenge the state’s diagnostics with their own expert’s analysis.
Higgins, 45, is set to stand trial on January 5 after rejecting a plea deal.
According to court records, he allegedly had a blood-alcohol content of .087, which is over the legal limit, when he struck the Columbus Blue Jackets star and his sibling in Oldmans Township on August 29, 2024. He was accused of passing another car before hitting the brothers.
Matthew had played college hockey alongside his brother at Boston College, but never made it to the NHL.
Johnny, meanwhile, was a seven-time All-Star and one of the best American skaters in the sport.
Following their deaths, the wives of both brothers gave birth to sons. Matthew’s wife Madeline gave birth to Tripp Gaudreau in December 2024, just four months after his father’s passing.
Over four months later, Johnny’s widow Meredith gave birth to their son Carter. She revealed that she was carrying the child during the funeral service for her late husband.
