Race car driver JJ Lehto has been cleared of all charges related to a 2010 boating accident in which a friend of Lehto’s was killed.
Lehto, whose real name is Jyrki Jarvilehto, was originally found guilty of driving the boat while intoxicated and was sentenced to two years, four months. He said that his friend was driving and he was sitting in back when the boat, traveling at 45 mph down a seven-foot wide canal, struck a bridge embankment.
Lehto was convicted in December 2011, based in an initial report from local police that the pattern of injuries suggested that Lehto had to be driving at the time of the accident. Lehto appealed his sentence; the appeals court ruled that it was impossible to tell who was driving and Lehto was thus acquitted.
The 46-year-old Finnish driver, a veteran of Formula One, IndyCar, and sports car racing, retired in 2005 after winning Le Mans for the second time. Since retiring he works as a race commentator for Finland’s MTV3 and UrhoTV networks.
