The 10 Most Horrific Celebrity Car Accidents
Published on July 17, 2014. Updated April 4, 2017Some celebrities don’t seem to have the best of luck on the road. Some of them have driven pretty recklessly, nearly killing themselves and their passengers, while others have been passengers in vehicles that were in near-fatal accidents. Sadly, there are also a few other celebrities who were involved in fatal car crashes. Some of these accidents in our list below are fairly well known and recent while others have faded from the public’s memory. Check out the 9 most horrific celebrity car accidents:
10. Rachel Bilson
When she was 14, Rachel Bilson and some of her friends were involved in a near-fatal car accident on the Pacific Highway when the vehicle they were in swerved and crashed into an oncoming car. Bilson was rushed to the hospital and remained in a coma for two days. “The O.C.” star was left with a scar on her forehead from a shard of windshield and, to this day, she still suffers from headaches and experiences memory loss as a result. No one died in the crash, but one of the boys was paralyzed.
s_bukley / Shutterstock.com9. George Lucas
Back when he was still in high school, George Lucas was involved in a near-fatal car accident. He was driving his suped-up Autobianchi Bianchina when another driver that was going 90 miles per hour broadsided him, causing his car to flip over several times. Lucas defied doctor’s odds and made a full recovery. Before the accident, he had wanted to become a racecar driver; however, after the accident, he became more interested in film.
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com8. Tracy Morgan
Earlier this summer, the “30 Rock” star was hospitalized after the limo bus he was riding in was involved in a multi-car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. The accident was caused by one of Walmart’s truck drivers, who had reportedly been awake for over 24 hours. Reports say he fell asleep at the wheel. One of Tracy Morgan’s passengers died in the crash while he suffered broken leg bones, a broken nose and broken ribs. It was recently announced that the actor/comedian is suing Walmart over the accident.
Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com7. Arnold Schwarzenegger
In 2001, Arnold Schwarzenegger broke six ribs and was hospitalized for four days after he was involved in a motorcycle crash in Los Angeles. A car reportedly stopped short in front of him, so he had to serve to avoid hitting it. This caused the former bodybuilder to hit the windshield with his chest. In 2006, he was in another accident. The “Terminator” star was riding his motorcycle with his son Patrick when another driver backed onto the street he was riding on, causing him and his son to collide with the car at a low speed. Fortunately no one was badly injured in this accident. Schwarzenegger only needed 15 stitches in his upper lip.
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com6. Eric Roberts
In 1981, Eric Roberts – Julia Roberts’ brother and Emma Roberts’ father – almost died in a car crash. The Oscar-nominated actor was in a coma for several days with a bruised brain, broken bones and considerable facial trauma. Roberts spent a month in the hospital recovering. Because of the facial trauma, Roberts’ finely chiseled facial features were roughed and, as a result, he was only offered roles in films playing villains.
Charles Edwards / Shutterstock.com5. Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan is lucky to be alive. In 1990, she was involved in a horrific car accident when the tour bus she and her family and nine others were riding in was hit by a semitruck on a Pennsylvania highway. The Latin diva broke her back and had to face the possibility that she might never walk again. Estefan needed two eight inch titanium rods inserted into her back to meld the broken vertebrae and, over the course of six months, she slowly learned to walk again and ended up making a full recovery.
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com4. Niki Taylor
In 2001, Niki Taylor was critically injured in a car accident in Atlanta, Georgia, when the driver of the car she was in attempted to answer his cell phone and then lost control of his car and struck a utility pole. The former supermodel suffered severe internal injuries, including a collapsed lung and serious liver damage. Two steel rods had to be implanted in her back to hold her spine together. The accident left her unconscious and in a coma for six weeks and then bedridden for another month. Taylor reportedly underwent over 50 operations and substantial physical therapy, but she recovered.
Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com3. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes
Lisa Lopes from the all girl group TLC was killed in a car accident in Honduras back in 2002. The singer known as “Left Eye” was trying to pass a truck, but was blocked by an oncoming vehicle in the lane. She quickly veered to the left and lost control of the SUV, which went into a ditch. The vehicle hit two trees and then rolled several times, throwing Left Eye and three others out of the windows. Lopes died of neck injuries and severe head trauma, but no one else was fatally injured in the accident.
Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com2. Paul Walker
This past November, Paul Walker died in a single car accident alongside his friend Roger Rodas. Rodas was driving his Porsche 90 mph in a 45 mph zone when it lost control on a suburban street and crashed into a light pole and two trees. The car then burst into flames, killing both men. Rodas died of multiple traumatic injuries, while Walker died from the combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries. The accident was so bad that both of their bodies were burned beyond recognition.
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com1. Ryan Dunn
Ryan Dunn – who is best known for his involvement with the “Jackass” crew – died in an alcohol-related car crash in Pennsylvania back in 2011. The stuntman had been driving with a friend when his Porsche, which had been traveling at 130 mph, collided with a guardrail, crashed in the woods and then burst into flames, killing both men. Toxicology reports showed that Dunn’s blood alcohol level was more than twice that state’s maximum legal limit.
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com