Hockey player indicted for car crash that killed teammate

<p>Atlanta Thrashers forward Dany Heatley was indicted Friday on vehicular homicide and five other charges for the 2003 wreck that killed his teammate, Dan Snyder.</p><p>If convicted on all counts, the hockey star faces up to 20 years in prison and fines totaling $5,000.</p><p>Heatley was driving his black 2002 Ferrari convertible at a high rate of speed when it ran into a brick pillar and iron fence outside a condominium on Lenox Road in the city's Buckhead area on Sept. 29. Snyder was a passenger.</p><p>The posted speed limit on the road was 35 mph. Fulton County district attorney Paul Howard said Heatley's car was traveling between 60 and 90 mph.</p><p>"Citizens must be held accountable when they ignore traffic laws, which are there to protect and safeguard all of us," Howard said as he announced the grand jury indictment.</p><p>"All of us have driven too fast at one time or another, but this case involves extreme speed in relationship to this curving, well-traveled road in a residential area," he said.</p><p>Heatley is charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, second-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane and speeding.</p><p>Howard said he would be amenable to a plea agreement. He did not say what he would consider an appropriate sentence. There is no minimum sentence for these crimes, giving the judge considerable discretion, he added.</p><p>Heatley broke his jaw and tore two ligaments in his knee in the crash. Snyder died a few days later from head injuries. Authorities said Heatley had consumed some alcohol, but was not intoxicated at the time of the wreck.</p><p>Heatley was in Canada on Friday preparing for the upcoming season, the team said. He was not immediately available for comment.</p><p>Snyder's mother is not opposed to the indictments, Howard said. She told Howard that she and her family do not want to be involved in the trial.</p><p>"This is clearly a tragic example for everyone, especially our young people, on how horrible the consequences can be for an innocent victim when a driver chooses to ignore common-sense safety rules," Howard said.</p>