Columbus Blue Jackets superstar Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding their bikes on August 29th.
Nothing that can be said or done could ever be considered a win when it comes to the Gaudreau Brothers passing, but the family could get a win in court today.
NJ.com has reported that the Gaudreau family filed a motion in court to try to prevent the release of records, including 911 calls, videos, photos, autopsy images, or investigative reports related to their deaths. Requesting this type of information is common practice with media organizations.
THN Columbus has not requested any information regarding the case and doesn't plan to.
The night of the accident, before the deaths were confirmed, notes from police at the scene had been shared on social media, sparking outrage from fans. The New Jersey Attorney General is investigating how the notes ended up on social media. The investigation is centered around an employee at the medical examiner's office who was at the crash site.
The family has also hired a law firm to investigate a negligence claim but doesn't say what type of negligence it is, or who it's against.
There's a hearing scheduled for today, but a judge has already issued a temporary ban on releasing any records.
The NJ.com report says, "The court filing focuses on the release of records and says the estates of the Gaudreau brothers would suffer irreparable harm should this sensitive and private material be disclosed to the public.”
The report goes on to say, "During the law firm’s investigation, attorneys learned a Salem County government agency had received at least one Open Public Records Act request for records related to the investigation, according to the filing. The firm also learned the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office intended to release audio of a 911 call from the crash scene in response to the request."
The attorney who filed the motion, William R. Lane says, “Should this Court permit Salem County and/or the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office to produce the records being requested under OPRA, this private and sensitive material would undoubtedly be posted on news websites within hours, if not minutes.” He goes on to say, “Once that material is disseminated to the public, the harm caused by its disclosure cannot be undone.”
“Simply put, once this information is placed into the hands of the media, the harm cannot be undone or compensated for, even through Court intervention,” Lane said.
Lane also said in the court papers, “The wives of these young men, Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau, as well as their children and future children, deserve the protections our state’s laws afford to them."
Sean Higgins, the driver accused of two counts of vehicular homicide, remains in a New Jersey Jail.
This story will undoubtedly continue to be talked about until the final verdict comes down on the accused. Although bringing someone to justice doesn't take away the pain and suffering of the family, it can help the healing process to know that the person who selfishly took the lives of two superstar young men, won't walk free anytime soon.
As the Blue Jackets start their season in two days, they will be playing with Johnny and Matthew in their hearts.
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