An Emmy-winning ABC actress has been accused of being involved in a hit-and-run accident as a new concerning witness account surfaces.
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According to Us Weekly, NYPD Blue alum Kim Delaney was allegedly “slurring” her words and had an “unsteady” balance while walking following a car accident in 2022. The ABC actress is now a key subject in the hit-and-run incident.
Delaney reportedly crashed her black Mercedes into a motorcycle belonging to a man named Dzhamal Badalov, who then sued her for the damages. The actress denied all allegations made by the motorcyclist but was allowed to enter a diversion program in connection with the incident by the Los Angeles Attorney’s Office. She was also ordered to do community service and complete a DUI class.
As part of his lawsuit against the actress, Badalov filed new evidence for the trial: eyewitness accounts.
Ashlee Cartznes, a witness, stated she was driving with her boyfriend, Jonathan De Jesus, when the accident occurred. While driving, Cartznes said she noticed a black Mercedes was “coming up on us really fast.”
“When the black Mercedes quickly approached us, I thought it was going to hit us,” Cartznes recalled. “So I immediately switched to another lane to avoid getting rear-ended.”
She decided to avoid getting near the other driver, as she noticed they were driving “erratically without staying in the street lanes.”
“I witnessed the driver of the black Mercedes slam her brakes while quickly approaching the motorcycle, but amid stopping,” Cartznes continued. “The vehicle it ended up crashing into [the] rear of the motorcycle. I witnessed the driver of the motorcycle get thrown off his bike onto the street.”
The ABC Actress Allegedly Appeared to Be Intoxicated After She Got Out of Her Vehicle
After checking on the motorcyclist, Cartznes claimed she noticed that the Mercedes driver had taken “a while” to get out of her vehicle.
Once the driver, assumed to be Delaney, got out of the vehicle, she was believed to appear intoxicated. This was due to her alleged inability to walk correctly, and she had to stand beside her vehicle.
“Her eyes were all over the place,” the witness said. “Her balance looked unsteady, and she was slurring while attempting to speak.”
Cartznes also said that the driver appeared to be “barefoot.” The witness said she spoke to the driver’s husband on the phone afterward, only to receive an unusual response.
“The woman’s husband told her that she needed to get into the car and drive away,” the witness said.
Cartznes said the other driver got into her car to leave after the phone call. While fleeing the scene, the driver struck a concrete median. Badalov included a photo of the accident in his lawsuit.
Delaney denied any wrongdoing. She also said third parties, not her, caused any injuries. The trial is scheduled for early January 2026.