Actor/comedian Kevin Hart was severely injured in an early-morning car crash in the winding hills outside of L.A. on Sunday morning, TMZ reports.
According to information provided by sources, Hart was a passenger in a Plymouth Barracuda being driven along Mulholland Highway, a winding stretch of road described as “treacherous,” early Sunday morning. At about 1:00 a.m., the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, and it careened off the road, smashing through a wooden fence and then coming to rest in a gully, about 10 feet off the road.
So strong was the impact of the car in the accident that the top of the vehicle was crushed.
Kevin was able to extricate himself from the vehicle, and a member of his security team showed up and took him to his home. He later decided to go to a hospital, and he reportedly has suffered “severe” back injuries. As of this writing, the extent of those injuries is not clear.
Also injured in the crash was the driver; the extent of his or her injuries is not clear either, although sources say that the driver also suffered “major” back injuries as well. A third person in the vehicle, a female, was not injured. Complex reports that the driver has been identified as his friend Jared Black, and the woman’s name has been identified as Rebecca Broxterman who, according to her Instagram profile , appears to be a personal trainer.
It does not appear, as of this writing, that alcohol played a role in the crash.
Kevin Hart reportedly sustained ‘major back injuries’ in a car accident early Sunday morning in Los Angeles. https://t.co/T0PKEEMLQW pic.twitter.com/RmpiKSYn58
— Complex (@Complex) September 1, 2019
Weeks ago, Hart purchased the vintage 1970 muscle car as a 40th birthday gift for himself. In an eerie bit of foreshadowing, on Saturday, Hart posted a video of himself burning rubber in his refurbished ride; in the background, a fan could be heard warning him that he was “laying down too much rubber” as he spun the tires.
That video appears to have been taken down. Below you can see Kevin’s photo of his new ride on the day he bought it, revealing to his Instagram followers that he named the car “Menace.”
Months ago, Kevin was involved in a controversy over tweets that he had made years ago that appeared to be homophobic. Hart had been scheduled to host the 91st Academy Awards; however, after Hart refused to apologize for the tweets, he stepped down and the Awards show was conducted without a host. Hart said that there was no need to apologize for the tweets because he had grown as a person since making them.
