Ezekiel Elliott Sued for Role in Car Crash
For all of his talent and success as a running back, Ezekiel Elliott just can’t keep his name out of the headlines for all of the wrong reasons.
The 2016 NFL rushing champion is now facing a $1 million lawsuit over a car crash that happened nearly two years ago, KXAS-TV in Dallas reports.
In January 2017, Elliott’s GMC Yukon ran a red light and crashed into Ronnie Hill on the passenger side of his BMW 7 series. The accident happened in Dallas when Elliott was on his way to practice just days before the playoffs began.
Initially, the crash was described as minor and a fender bender, but Hill says it caused $33,000 in damage to his vehicle. He also says the BMW ended up being written off as a total loss, according to his lawsuit against Elliott.
Hill’s attorney, Quentin Brogdon, says that his client “suffered, and continues to suffer serious, life-altering injuries and damages.”
That is why Hill, who is admittedly a fan of Elliott and the Cowboys, filed the lawsuit “only very reluctantly.”
Both Hill’s BMW and Elliott’s Yukon had to be towed from the scene, although Elliott didn’t seem too bothered by the accident.
I'm good. I've been in bigger collisions. Lol
— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) January 11, 2017
Elliott’s attorney noted that Texas is not a “direct action” state, which means a driver who is involved in a crash is not allowed to sue the other driver’s insurance company.
Instead, Hill has to sue Elliott, and then the insurance company is expected to handle it from there. Elliott’s attorney also said that his client’s insurance company will “step in accordingly and handle the matter appropriately.”
Elliott was not injured in the crash and played in the NFC divisional round four days after the accident. He ran for 122 yards as the Cowboys were defeated by the Packers.
The running back and the rest of the team are currently in Oxnard, California, for training camp. Elliott isn’t expected to face any disciplinary action for the crash or the lawsuit, but the Cowboys may be worried about Elliott’s driving record.
This is at least Elliott’s third car accident over the last three years.
In 2015 while at Ohio State, Elliott told police his car hit a puddle and he lost control, which resulted in him hitting another vehicle. He was not injured but he was cited for three misdemeanors: driving with a suspended license, operating a vehicle without a license and failure to control a vehicle.
Four months after hitting Hill’s BMW, Elliott was in another car accident, but this time he was a passenger.
During Cowboys’ OTAs in May 2017, Elliott was rear-ended and suffered a head injury. The injury kept him out of a couple of OTA sessions but was not deemed to be serious.
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