Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith was cited with “careless and negligent” driving after a car crash Tuesday night that left a man with a partial amputation on his right leg, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Highsmith was not hurt in the crash, which occurred at about 11:30 p.m. as he was driving home from Miami’s win over the Orlando Magic at Kaseya Center, according to police.
Jerry Dianis, Highsmith’s agent, acknowledged the crash and the man’s injuries in a statement Thursday night, calling it “an unfortunate accident.” He said Highsmith had not consumed alcohol or drugs and was not speeding.
“Haywood and his family are praying for him,” Dianis said in his statement. “Haywood is of course shaken by this and appreciates the support and prayers he has received from the Miami Heat and fans. We will have no further comment.”
According to the crash report, a 1999 Toyota 4Runner was disabled with its lights off. A man was in the road helping a woman with her disabled car as Highsmith approached in a 2021 Audi A5 at an estimated 45 mph, 5 mph over the speed limit. Highsmith was not able to stop his car in time and crashed into the disabled car and the man, who was directly behind it, the report said.
The man was taken to South Medical Center in critical condition. In addition to the partial amputation, he suffered a fractured left leg and a possible broken left arm, according to the report.
In his statement Thursday, Dianis said Highsmith “immediately rushed to help” the man, applying a tourniquet to the injuries and staying on the scene until an ambulance arrived. Dianis also said he had been told the man was in stable condition.
The Heat did not provide any details about the accident in their statement Wednesday, saying only that “our hearts go out to those who were injured” and that there would be no further comment.
Highsmith’s citation is not considered criminal, a spokesperson for Miami-Dade Police said. He did not play in Wednesday’s home game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Source: www.espn.com