ATLANTA (AP) -- A car carrying Atlanta Hawks forward DerMarr Johnson crashed into a tree and burst into flames early Friday, leaving him with a serious head injury. Johnson, 22, and two other men were in Johnson's car when it crossed the center line and hit the tree. It was not known who was driving, and no other cars were involved, police said. Hawks spokesman Jon Steinberg said Johnson was being taken from Southwest Hospital and Medical Center to Grady Memorial Hospital, which specializes in trauma care. Model Niki Taylor was treated at Grady last year after a serious car accident. Steinberg said he didn't know Johnson's condition. Another person in the car had internal injuries, and the third man sustained only minor injuries, Fulton County police Maj. Wenda Phifer said. Johnson took part in voluntary workouts with his teammates Thursday at Philips Arena, Steinberg said. Johnson, a first-round draft pick in 2000 after only one year at Cincinnati, averaged 8.4 points in 72 games last season -- his second with the Hawks. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/news/2002/09/13/johnson_crash_ap/ -------------------------------------- i hope he's okay.
Same here. I hope he came come back and have a normal life. I remember I wanted the Rockets to draft him in the 2000 draft.
I hope his surgery goes well and he makes a full recovery.A serious neck injury could have been life threatening.Missing the season is bad but I hope he will be able to play pro basketball in the next season.
Don't worry, that is fully expected. One of his friends that was in the car is in more serious condition - internal injuries. He is having surgery tonight - but it was delayed so that his mother could come in from DC. Obviously, once he was stabalized in the hospital, there was no immediate threat. The doctors and Hawks officials interviewed have said he will recover 100%, but it just probably won't be enough to save this season. He was very lucky. The car is completely unrecognizeable. Imagine - he exited the car on his own while it was on fire...with a broken neck. He and his friends then just laid down on the ground and waited for help.
to tell you the truth, it really pisses me off to read this kind of news. cross the line and hit a tree? sounds like speeding. hopefully its not something stupid like this. i know too many young people who's done reckless things behind a steering wheel and endanger their lives and others. next time you wanna accelerate just a little bit more for the thrill of it, think of the people who's gonna grief for you and the other passengers.
I hope everyone in that car is okay. And yeah that would suck if he was speeding. I mean he can probably afford to buy an F1 car or something and race on a pro track.
I expected to be able to live a normal life as in the life of a normal, everyday citizen, but will he be able to live his life normally again? Sorry about the confusion.
Lol, I meant his life, too...now I am sorry for the confusion. He will be playing ball again and is expected to be as lazy and non-aggressive as he was before...just probably not this year.
I hope that he will be able to recover from this and be at 100% on the court. Hopefully it wasn't his fault that his car crashed, but sadly it probably is.
Now he might not even have surgery at all. He showed some improvement, but generally drove coaches and fans crazy with his "stand around" offensive arsenal.
