“Bachelor” Chris Soules has generated a lot of buzz in recent days, but not for reasons he intended. As many fans of the show know, Soules was involved in an accident on April 24 that left one man dead and charges pending for him. There are still many details that have yet to be revealed, and the star now has a legal team speaking on his behalf. What's the latest?
Significant questions about the accident remain
The accident happened in Iowa Monday night around 8:20 p.m., sources indicate, and “Bachelor” Chris Soules was arrested at about 1:15 a.m. Tuesday morning. Chris was reportedly driving a pickup truck when he allegedly rear-ended a tractor. Both the truck and the tractor ended up in ditches and the tractor driver died after being taken to the hospital. Chris was arrested hours later, and authorities have reported that he refused to talk with them until they got a warrant, which is why he wasn't arrested until about five hours after the accident.
As Us Weekly notes, the “Bachelor” star did call 911 and a portion of that call has been publicly released.
Soules told the dispatcher that he was involved in an accident and he noted that the tractor driver, 66-year-old farmer and Vietnam veteran Kenneth Mosher, did not seem to be breathing. At this point, there are some unknowns about the case. Chris allegedly left the scene before law enforcement arrived, and reports have indicated that alcoholic beverage containers were found in his truck.
Soules' lawyers argue that Chris didn't flee
The “Bachelor” star was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash and he is due to head back to court on May 2. Now, however, his legal team argues that the initial reporting about Soules fleeing the scene was inaccurate. As Fox News reports, Soules' lawyers say that Chris acted reasonably after the accident when he tried to help the victim and called 911.
Chris is said to have identified himself on the emergency call and he seemingly stayed on the scene until emergency medical personnel arrived.
What happened after medical personnel arrived and before the “Bachelor” star was arrested? Who picked him up from the scene and why did he resist talking with the police until he was arrested about five hours later? Those are the details that have many people buzzing, and Soules' legal team isn't filling in the gaps at this point. They insist that once all of the evidence related to Chris' case is made public, people will feel differently about what happened.
Chris currently faces one felony charge
Police are still investigating the accident, but as it stands right now, Soules is required to wear an ankle bracelet and had to hand over his passport.
The felony charge he is currently facing could land him in prison for up to five years, and there could be additional charges on the way. Of course, some people speculate that a civil suit could come into play eventually as well.
It was believed that Chris was planning to do “Bachelor in Paradise” this summer, but that is likely not an option now. E! Online notes that Soules had a number of deals with various brands and companies either in place or in the works, and at this point, those alliances are either on hold or canceled. There is little doubt that this accident, regardless of the legal outcome, will have a serious impact on the “Bachelor” star both personally and professionally.
Just what happened in the hours between the initial 911 call and the arrest?
Will “Bachelor” Chris Soules manage to resolve these issues without enormous legal and financial consequences? “Bachelor Nation” fans are closely following the developments in this situation and will be curious to see what comes next.