Philadelphia Eagles fans were a little worried last night when they heard the news that Michael Vick had broken both of his legs in a car accident. Thankfully, the story was just another internet hoax.
Actually, it’s the exact same internet hoax that claimed Peyton Manning as a victim last month .
The fake news story states that Vick was driving his car in Philadelphia when he was hit by a 2010 Audi. A 76-year-old female reportedly ran a red light and crashed into the side of Michael Vick’s car.
The story reads: “A spokesperson for the Philadelphia highway safety authority (HSA) has confirmed that Michael Vick has broken both of his legs in a traffic altercation. He has been transported via ambulance to a local Philadelphia hospital for treatment, and the full extent of his injuries are not known at this time, however, both of his legs were visibly broken and not life threatening according to sources. The accident involved a 2012 BMW driven by Michael Vick and a 76 year old female driver in a 2010 Audi. The driver of the Audi was issued a citation for failing to stop at a red light before striking the vehicle driven by Michael Vick at a high rate of speed. Team spokespersons could not be reached for comment at this time.”
This is the exact same story that was published earlier this month but instead of Michael Vick it was Peyton Manning .
You see, somewhere down in the dark and shadowy places of the internet is a hoax generator. You plug in a name, a location, an injury (most often death) and let the story generator create your hoax. Then you post it onto social media sites like Twitter and watch as people freak out because Michael Vick broke both of his legs in a car accident.
(You can read more about how Death Hoaxes work with IQ’s Death Hoax 101 course .)
So just to sum things up: Michael Vick was not in a car accident. He did not both of his legs. He did not go to the hospital.
