Here is a list of sports stars who died in auto accidents. Not necessarily in sports cars which could be confusing by the title. I bring this list to reveal the dangers of automobile accidents.
Steve Prefontaine
Pre’s Rock is a memorial at the site of the roadside boulder where Prefontaine died. The memorial features a plaque with a picture of Prefontaine that reads:
“ For your dedication and loyalty
To your principles and beliefs…
For your love, warmth, and friendship
For your family and friends…
You are missed by so many
And you will never be forgotten…”
Derrick Thomas
Probably best known for being one of the fastest linebackers in Tecmo Super Bowl, kidding. Things that you probably don’t know is that in 1990 against the Seattle Seahawks, he set an NFL record with seven sacks in a single game. The story of his death is also quite fascinating.
“On January 23, 2000, Thomas’ 1999 Chevrolet Suburban went off Interstate 435 as he and two passengers were driving to Kansas City International Airport during a snowstorm, where he was going to fly to St. Louis to watch the NFC Championship game. Police reports indicate that Thomas, who was driving, was speeding at approximately 100 m.p.h. even though snow and ice were accumulating on the roadway. Thomas continued weaving erratically through traffic until the time of the accident. Thomas and one of the passengers were not wearing seat belts and both were thrown from the car; the passenger was killed instantly. A few days later Thomas died from a massive blood clot that developed in his paralyzed lower extremities and traveled to his lungs”.
Drazen Petrovic
In the 1991–92 season, his first full season with the Nets, Petro, as the Americans had dubbed him, averaged 20.6 points in 36.9 minutes on the floor, nearly leading all NBA guards in field goal percentage (51%). Here are the details on his death:
“Petrović died in a traffic accident at approximately 17:20 on June 7, 1993, four and a half months before his 29th birthday. On the rain-drenched Autobahn 9, he was a passenger in a car that was cut off by a semi truck at Denkendorf, near Ingolstadt, in the German state of Bavaria. According to the report of the Ingolstadt police, that afternoon a truck broke through the Autobahn median; the truck driver was trying to avoid a collision with a personal vehicle in his own lane and lost control of the truck, crashing through the median barrier and finally coming to a stop blocking all three lanes of traffic in the opposite direction (Munich). Seconds later, the VW Golf carrying a sleeping Petrović in the passenger seat crashed into the truck, killing him and leaving the driver – Klara Szalantzy, a German model and female basketball player with whom Petrović was romantically involved – and Hilal Edebal, a female Turkish basketball player, with grave injuries. It was established that visibility on the road was very poor and that Petrović was not buckled with a seatbelt”
Eddie Griffin
Eddie Griffin hailed from the Philadelphia area and went to Roman Catholic High School. He attended Seton Hall University for one year before being drafted 7th by the Nets before being immediately traded to the Rockets.
“Eddie Griffin died as a result of a car crash on August 17, 2007 at about 1:30 a.m.[6] Houston police said in a report that Griffin ignored a railroad warning and went through a barrier before striking a moving train. The resulting fire burned Griffin’s SUV and the side of a railcar carrying plastic granules.[6] Griffin’s body was badly burned and there was no initial identification. Dental records later revealed the man was Griffin. He had more than three times the legal alcohol limit in his system when he crashed, according to an autopsy report. The Harris County Medical Examiner’s office said the 25-year-old Griffin died of “multiple blunt force injuries.” The medical examiner’s office performed tests on Griffin’s bile and blood from his heart and liver and determined his blood-alcohol level was 0.26. The legal limit in Texas is 0.08. Tests found no traces of cocaine, barbiturates or any other narcotics.”
Dale Earnhardt Sr.
I can’t believe it’s already been 12 years since Dale Sr. has been gone. While driving in the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt died of basilar skull fracture in a last-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2001. He has been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The last lap…
Bobby Phills
On January 12, 2000, while a member of the Charlotte Hornets, Phills was killed in an automobile accident in Charlotte, North Carolina. Phills was traveling behind teammate David Wesley at over 75 mph (121 km/h) when his Porsche spun and crossed into oncoming traffic. It hit another car, which in turn was struck in the rear by a minivan. The drivers of the other two vehicles recovered, while Phills was pronounced dead at the scene. A police report said Phills and Wesley were driving “in an erratic, reckless, careless, in a negligent or aggressive manner.” Wesley later was convicted of reckless driving after being cleared of a racing charge.
Jerome Brown
Brown died on June 25, 1992, at the age of 27, following an automobile accident in Brooksville, Florida, in which both he and his nephew, Gus, were killed when Brown lost control of his ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette at high speed and crashed into a utility pole. After his death, Eagles players and fans started the unofficial motto, “Bring it home for Jerome,” an indirect reference among Eagles fans to bringing a Super Bowl title to the city in Brown’s honor.
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