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Chris Soules Hires Legal Team, Phone Records Investigated To See If Distracted Driving Was A Factor In Crash

By Kim Brandow
Published on: 11:12 PST, Apr 27, 2017

Chris Soules now has a legal team to represent him in the fatal accident he was involved in on Monday evening. Local farmer, Kenneth Mosher, died after he was rear-ended by the former Bachelor as he was sitting on his tractor near Aurora, Iowa. He was thrown off and landed in a nearby ditch. He was later pronounced dead. In addition to the hiring of lawyers, more details are slowly emerging on what happened that night.

Soules was arrested for leaving the scene of a fatal accident. According to E! News, the legal team from the Parrish Kruidenier firm will represent him. Their specialty is wrongful death and criminal defense. There is also a motion in place to preserve any evidence that would relate to this case. After his lawyers were hired, they made an official statement on behalf of their client asking everyone not to prejudge.

“His attorneys are confident that once all the evidence is made public, it will show Soules acted reasonably and did everything in his power to provide aid to Mr. Mosher.”

[Image by Buchanan County Sheriffs Office via Getty Images]

They also asked for privacy for Chris and his family, as well as the loved ones of Kenneth Mosher. The ongoing investigation includes going over the 911 call that was made by Chris Soules after the accident occurred. While earlier reports said that he had left Mosher there as soon as he hit him, that was not true at all. The 911 tape confirmed that he did stop to tend to the farmer and to call for help. He was also there when the paramedics arrived. However, he did flee the scene before the police got there and was arrested hours later.

According to the 911 call, Soules checked for a pulse and to see if Mosher was breathing. There were other people who were at the scene, but then he apparently took off in another truck with someone else driving. Officials are trying to determine who it was behind the wheel of that vehicle.

Chris now wears an ankle monitor and had his passport taken from him so he can’t leave the country. His phone has also been taken so investigators can determine whether he could have been distracted by either texting or taking photos with it while he was driving. According to a report by TMZ, the 35-year-old reality star would be charged with vehicular manslaughter if it was determined that he was driving distracted. His cell phone is currently being scrutinized for any kind of activity at the same time, or right before the accident occurred.

From previous photos that Chris Soules had taken of the beautiful Iowa landscapes and sunsets, the roads that he travels on frequently are mostly farmland with not much traffic at all. He could also have stopped his vehicle completely to take the snapshots that he posted on social media as well. TMZ reported that it doesn’t appear that Chris was going at a high rate of speed. Officers had concluded that by the skid marks on the road, he tried to brake to avoid hitting the tractor.

There are speculations that alcohol may have been a factor in the fatal accident. Open containers were found in the pickup truck that rear-ended Mosher’s tractor. There is also the fact that Soules left the scene before officers arrived, and then he barricaded himself in a house for hours until a warrant was issued to have him arrested. It is speculated that he did that so the blood test he took hours later would not show any alcohol or drugs in his system. Chris also has had a previous DUI, which could possibly become a factor in this case.

This tragic event has taken the life of a well-loved and respected man. Mosher, 66, was said to have been a wonderful family man who loved farming and playing golf. His funeral is set for Monday, May 1. His death is said to have affected the whole community.

Chris Soules’ court date is on May 2. More information will be revealed as soon as they determine exactly what caused the accident.

[Featured Image by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for iHeartMedia]

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