A tragedy took place in the sports field where Johnny Gaudreau, an NHL player, and his brother Matthew, were killed by a car when they were cycling on August 29, 2024, in Carneys Point, New Jersey. The driver, Sean Higgins of Huron, Ohio, a 43-year-old U.S. Army veteran who fought in Iraq, has been charged with their deaths. The Gaudreau brothers were riding their bicycles on a country road when Higgins hit them from behind with an SUV while having a blood alcohol concentration of.087. The prosecutors said that Higgins drove past two other vehicles before ramming into the brothers at about 8 p.m. that night. Matthew was 29 years old, while Johnny was 31 years old: The two brothers planned to be with their sister Katie the next day as groomsmen at her wedding.
A Tragic Accident
Higgins is a reckless driver and has had numerous traffic incidents before he was cited with different traffic offenses. In a recent hearing in court, he fainted when the judge denied him bail and remanded him in custody till the trial. He stands accused of two counts of causing death through reckless driving, reckless driving, and having an open bottle.
Sean Higgins is not any ordinary driver but is a decorated army veteran of IRAQ, employed in a non-profit drug and alcohol treatment agency named Gaudenzia. Defence lawyers have argued that his military tenure had rendered him mentally ill. Still, Higgins said he had drunk alcohol while driving and he later refused a field sobriety test after the accident.
His wife told him over a phone call that she feared his reckless driving while he was drunk behind the wheel before the accident occurred.
Many people in the hockey community are shocked and saddened by the loss of two young men, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. This accounts the lifetime companionship between the two brothers as depicted by various authors. Their funerals were accorded Catholic rites at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, PA: widows spoke movingly aloud their tributes.
A prominent student-athlete was Johnny Gaudreau, who was called ‘Johnny Hockey’ during his NHL seasons for the Calgary Flame and later joined the Columbus Blue Jackets team. He was so young and talented and his sudden demise has left his fans and family heartbroken.
As the lawsuit against Sean Higgins proceeds, the following question arises, how did such a disaster happen just before what should have been a family celebration? To what extent can actions be altered to avoid similar mishaps in the future? What will this mean for Johnny Gaudreau’s place in the history of hockey? The answers are still pending as the community mourns this great loss today.
