It is being reported that early on Saturday, May 19, 2012, Jon Jones was involved in a serious car crash that totaled his Bentley. After he allegedly failed a breathalyzer test, he was arrested. He has since been released. Jones is lucky that he was not injured. Unfortunately, there have been other members of the fighting community who have been. Here is a look at some other fighters, and figures in the community, who have been involved in car crashes.
Charles Lewis Jr.
Though he was not a fighter, Charles Lewis Jr. has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport. He was one of the founders of TapouT and a promoter for the sport. In March of 2009, he died when his Ferrari hit a pole. He had been speeding and clipped another driver. The other driver, Jeffery Kirby, was sentenced to 13 years in prison because he had allegedly been drinking.
Din Thomas
On October 7, 2011, Din Thomas was headed to what should have been his first fight in over one year. Unfortunately, his plans were derailed when he was involved in a serious crash. He totaled his car and had significant injuries. Though the fight was cancelled, he was expected to fully recover and hoped to return soon.
Though Paul Taylor's car accident was relatively minor, the crash caused Taylor to withdraw from an important match. Taylor suffered from whiplash and he was unable to compete after the accident on Monday, October 31, 2011. Taylor had been hit from behind while stopped at a red light. He was expected to make a full recovery.
Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz was uninjured when he was involved in a three car fender bender in July of 2011. He was, however, upset at the damage to his beloved Rolls Royce. He did not have to cancel any matches and he did not go to the hospital.
Chris Smith, who was a fighter, was killed in a car crash in early April of 2012. While in a no passing zone, a car passed Smith's car. A car coming in the opposite direction swerved to avoid the passing car but hit Smith's car head on. Smith's passenger, fellow fighter Dom Steele was taken to the hospital and was expected to make a full recovery.
Alexander Shlemenko
Alexander Shlemnko was injured in a car accident in April of 2012. With a broken collarbone and injured hand, it will be months before he can return to the sport. He is expected to fully recover and plans to continue to spend a lot of time at RusFighters Sport Club.
Doug Bolanes
In March of 2011, Doug Bolanes was killed when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree. The fighter had just gotten started with a very promising career when his life was cut short. He was only 22 when he died.
Pedro Sosa
On Sunday, October 30, 2011, there was a large pile up that involved the car that Pedro Sosa, a fighter, and his sister were riding in. Though both survived the initial wreck unharmed, while out of the car, the two were hit and fell off the overpass. His sister died and Sosa was in a coma. He is recovering and he plans to resume his career in the future.
Bongani Dlamini
In September of 2011, Bongani Dlamini, a talented young boxer in South Africa, was killed when his car crashed. The car hit a tree in Johannesburg. Dlamini had been driving and his three passengers survived the crash.
Though Kristin Watt is not a fan of all sports, she does follow the news on most sports religiously. Major news events in sport do tend to ripple out to others and she makes sure that she never misses the big stories.
