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Jim Boeheim Driving at or Near Speed Limit During Fatal Crash, DA Rules
February 27, 2019
Syracuse men's basketball head coach Jim Boeheim "was traveling within the speed limit or close to it" when his SUV struck and killed 51-year-old Jorge Jimenez on Interstate 690 in Syracuse, New York, on Wednesday, February 20, per the Associated Press.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who spoke with the AP, also noted that the crash investigation is near completion.
Per Casey Darnell and Michael McCleary of the Daily Orange, Syracuse police chief Kenton Buckner said on Thursday that Boeheim has been cooperative during the investigation and that neither he nor the driver of the other car is expected to be charged.
Sarah Moses Buckshot of Syracuse.com outlined the details of the accident:
"The police investigation revealed that Jimenez was a passenger in a vehicle that lost control on the highway striking a guard rail. People in the car got out and proceeded to walk on the highway near the vehicle, police said.
"Boeheim, 74, of DeWitt, noticed the disabled car and tried avoiding the vehicle, which was in the road. Boeheim’s vehicle struck the man who was standing on the side of the road, police said."
Jimenez's funeral will be held on Thursday at no cost to his family, per Buckshot. A. Dewitt Memorial Funeral Homes, Woodland Cemetery and St. Agnes Florist are donating funeral, cremation and flower services, respectively.
Family and friends were effusive in their praise of Jimenez in the days following his death.
“My father was a man who was very sociable, very happy," Jimenez's daughter, Yurisandy Jimenez Arrastre, told Syracuse.com in Spanish.
"He loved to help everybody without question. He loved having friends. Everybody loved him because of his way of being: Going to the casino, listening to music, dancing..."
Per KJ Edelman, Michael McCleary, Nick Alvarez of the Daily Orange, Joel Sanchez, a man who knew Jimenez for two decades, said that Jimenez would do handiwork at no cost to him for acting as a translator for appointments or meetings.
Jimenez's funeral is open to the public from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET.