Rashee Rice was driving car in Dallas crash, lawyer says. What could penalties be?
An attorney for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice says his client has told Dallas police that he was the driver of a leased Lamborghini that, along with a Corvette Rice reportedly owns, appeared to instigate a six-car freeway crash last weekend in Dallas.
Rice’s lawyer, Texas state Sen. Royce West, made the admission that Rice was behind the wheel during a news conference in Texas on Thursday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Rice made his first public comment about the Saturday evening wreck. Rice said he took “full responsibility for my part in this matter.”
In dashcam video of the incident, which shut down Dallas’ North Central Expressway for a time, the Lamborghini Urus sport-utility vehicle and Corvette appear to be street-racing before the crash.
A woman, who said she was in the back of an Uber that was part of the crash, claims she suffered a concussion and has hired an attorney.
Now that we know Rice was driving one of the two high-end cars, he could face legal troubles — starting with the loss of his Corvette.
KSAT-TV noted that a new law took effect on Sept. 1 that “gives police the right to impound the cars of those charged with street racing or reckless driving, whether it’s a felony or misdemeanor. HB 1442 allows agencies to seize the cars of those involved in reckless driving and racing.
“Some of those expensive vehicles could be auctioned off by law enforcement.”
The loss of his vehicle potentially will be the least of Rice’s troubles.
Under Texas law, racing on a highway is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, if it results in bodily injury, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Five people exited the two vehicles that were allegedly racing and left the scene without speaking to anyone involved in the crash, as video showed. A Texas statute says a hit and run that leads to an injury can result in imprisonment for up to five years or a year in county jail and a $5,000 fine.
NBC Sports noted the Chiefs or NFL could discipline Rice under the league’s personal-conduct Policy, regardless of what happens in any potential civil or criminal trial.
