Sean M. Higgins, the driver who fatally struck Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother with his vehicle, had a blood alcohol level that was above the legal limit of 0.8, prosecutors confirmed.
On Aug. 29, 31-year-old Gaudreau and his 29-year-old brother Matthew were cycling on a rural road in New Jersey when they were fatally hit. The brothers were going to serve as groomsmen at their sister’s wedding, which was going to take place the following day.
The driver, later identified as 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, has been charged with two counts of death by auto, in addition to reckless driving and possession and consuming of alcohol in a vehicle.
On Friday, prosecutors described him as having a history of aggressive driving and alleged road rage at a virtual court hearing. The judge subsequently ordered that he be held for trial.
His defence lawyer, however, described the father-of-two as an ‘empathetic individual’ who ‘made a horrible decision that night’.
Higgins had told police that he drank ‘five or six beers’ that evening and that he had also continued to drink while operating his vehicle. He also failed a subsequent sobriety test.
Aggressive Driving
According to the prosecutor, Higgins had finished work at approximately 3 p.m. and had started to drink at home after arguing with his mother over ‘a family matter’.
He subsequently called and talked to his friend for two hours while driving around in his Jeep with an open can of alcohol, driving aggressively behind another vehicle. The driver would later tell police that he often tailgated her vehicle.
When she and the car ahead of her eventually slowed down for cyclists on the road, Higgins sped up and steered to the right, fatally hitting the Gaudreau brothers.
Higgins indicated he ‘didn’t even see the cyclists’, according to Superior Court Judge Michael Silvanio, who blamed the man’s ‘impatience’ for the two deaths.
Higgins currently faces up to 20 years behind bars.
According to his defence lawyers, Higgins, who has a master’s degree, served in Iraq and works for an addiction treatment company. His wife, however, admitted that he had ‘drinking issues’ ever since he started to work fro home.
Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed by Higgins alongside his brother, had played ten seasons for the NFL and was set to play his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a $68 million deal in 2022.
The brother’s widows, Meredith and Madeline – both of whom are currently pregnant – described them as being ‘attached at the hip’ ever since they were young. They are urging everyone not to drink and drive, lest there be another family that suffers such a devastating loss.
Higgins’ defence lawyers suggested that a locking device could be used to prevent him from drinking and driving. They also noted that he only barely tested over the legal limit.
Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn, however, argued that that would not solve the ‘fundamental issue’, which was his ‘aggressive driving.
