The life of a celebrity is one full of glitz, glamour, fancy cars and the most gorgeous homes. But being famous doesn’t give celebrities a free pass in the criminal justice system. Many famous people have been at the center of tragic and devastating events that have left numerous people dead.
Poor judgment and irresponsible decisions have been the catalyst to many of these deaths. Drugs and alcohol seem to be the common factors of many deadly incidents, including the 1978 murder of Nancy Pungent - the girlfriend of Sex Pistols bass guitarist, Sid Vicious. Pungent was found dead with a single stab wound to her stomach at the Hotel Chelsea in New York. Vicious was arrested, but later released on bail. He never faced the music and escaped punishment for the murder when he was found dead of a heroin drug overdose.
Actor Lane Garrison is another celebrity who made a poor decision after a night of partying. The actor attended a high school party, and offered to purchase more alcohol at the liquor store. Two girls and a guy offered to ride with him. Garrison, who was over the legal limit, ran a red light and struck a tree - killing a 17-year-old boy who was a passenger. It was a deadly mistake, and the actor was sentenced to 40 months behind bars.
Other times, drugs and alcohol aren’t a factor in these deadly incidents. It’s simply a case of many of the victims being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Singer Brandy Norwood was driving down the 405 freeway when she didn’t notice traffic in front of her had slowed down. She rear-ended a vehicle driven by 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj. Aboudihaj’s vehicle struck the car in front of her before swerving into the center divider. A fourth vehicle then broadsided her. Aboudihaj later died at an area hospital, and the blame was put on Norwood for causing the deadly chain reaction. She was cleared of any criminal misconduct, but she was held liable for several lawsuits filed by the family members and victims of the accident.
You would never think that Laura Bush had a history that included killing someone, but the former First Lady was behind the wheel of a car that killed her fellow high school classmate, Michael Dutton Douglas. Bush claims she was distracted while driving, and ran a stop sign before crashing into Douglas’ car.
Many of these incidents could have been prevented, but other times, these accidents were the results of very unfortunate events. In the end, celebrities are humans just like you and me, and they too can make tragic mistakes that change lives forever.
