Investigators to recommend Caitlyn Jenner face manslaughter in fatal crash

LOS ANGELES — Sheriff's investigators plan to recommend prosecutors file a vehicular manslaughter charge against Caitlyn Jenner for her role in a fatal car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu last February, officials said Thursday.

Investigators found that Jenner was driving "unsafe for the prevailing road conditions" because her SUV rear-ended a Lexus, pushing it into oncoming traffic, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said.

Jenner was hauling an off-road vehicle on a trailer behind her Cadillac Escalade on Feb. 7 when she steered to avoid cars slowing for a traffic light in front of her on Pacific Coast Highway.

Jenner's SUV rear-ended two cars, pushing a Lexus into oncoming traffic.

The Lexus driver, 69-year-old Kim Howe, was killed when her car was struck head-on by a Hummer.

The case will be presented to prosecutors for final review next week, Nishida said. The district attorney's office will determine what charges Jenner ultimately faces.

If convicted of such a charge, Jenner could face up to one year in county jail.

Jenner's attorney Blair Berk declined comment.

The fatal crash occurred months before Caitlyn Jenner's transition. She was formerly known as Bruce Jenner, the 1976 Olympic decathlon champion and Kim Kardashian's stepfather.

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AP Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report. Follow Tami Abdollah on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/latams .