Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 3, 1994 TAG: 9412220069
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Seattle Times
DATELINE: KIRKLAND, WASH. LENGTH: Long
Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Mike Frier suffered a paralyzing neck fracture and two other players, including running back Chris Warren, were injured Thursday night when their vehicle crashed into a utility pole.
Frier, 25, was listed in serious condition Friday at Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue, Wash.
``The likelihood of [Frier] walking again is very poor,'' Dr. Michael Schlitt, neurological surgeon, said at a news conference. ``He'll almost certainly be wheelchair-dependent.''
Schlitt said Frier's fifth and sixth vertebrae were fractured, damaging the spinal cord, and Frier could not move his legs or hands when he arrived at the hospital Thursday night. He said it's uncertain what movement Frier might regain in his arms. Surgery was planned to repair some of the damage to Frier's spinal column.
Schlitt said he told Frier of his injuries and the prognosis.
``He is depressed, like anyone would be,'' the doctor said.
Also injured was rookie running back Lamar Smith, who turned 24 on Tuesday. He was held overnight at the hospital. Seahawk orthopedic physician Pierce Scranton said Smith suffered a chip fracture in his back and a sprained ankle.
Warren, a former Division III All-American at Ferrum, was arrested on investigation of vehicular assault, a felony, after he was treated for two fractured ribs and released from the hospital. After being booked by Kirkland police, Warren, 27, was released.
But Friday afternoon, Smith's agent, Eugene Parker, said, ``Lamar Smith was the driver in the accident.''
Rick Schaeffer, Warren's agent and attorney, said: ``As will be demonstrated by further investigation of the incident, Chris was not the owner of the automobile, nor was he driving it at the time of the accident. He has asked me to say that his thoughts and prayers are with his teammate Mike Frier and that he hopes to return to the field as soon as possible to work toward a playoff opportunity for the Seahawks.''
Reached at his home, Warren would not discuss the incident.
Police are investigating the possibility that alcohol played a role in the accident.
``We believe there was alcohol involved. There were empty beer cans in the back of the truck,'' said Jim O'Toole, Kirkland police detective. He said it isn't known when the beer was consumed.
The one-car accident occurred at 8:41 p.m.; the accident site is about five blocks from the Seahawk complex, but practice had been over for more than four hours.
Sgt. Mark Smith of the Kirkland Police Department said: ``The initial indication is that they pulled out to pass a car. They passed in the left-turn lane. And then, as they were entering the northbound lane, they continued on across [the lane] and hit the pole.''
Smith said there were no skid marks. He declined to estimate the speed of the vehicle. ``We're not talking drag-racing,'' he said. ``We're talking people driving too fast for conditions in the rain.''
Smith said the pole caught fire as a result of the crash and eventually triggered three explosions that could be heard a mile away.
Smith said Frier was in the back seat and was ``pinned in the vehicle.''
``Firemen were trying to extricate him as we started getting a series of explosions that were coming off the top of that pole. Every time it blew up, there was a big shower of sparks that came down all over the firemen and the vehicle.''
Dave Needham, 19, of Kirkland, was walking across 108th Avenue Northeast with friends just before the crash.
``It passed right behind me,'' he said of the vehicle. ``I heard loud music, a big booming bass. We naturally turned our heads and looked. From what I saw, it swerved right and ran right into the power-line pole. There was a real loud crash. We ran across the street to a house and called 911.''
Needham said he was one of the first people to get to the scene.
``Most of the windows were broken out,'' he said. ``The guy in the back [Frier] was seriously injured, doubled over, and yelling. ... The man ... was in incredible pain. It was tough to be there, tough to see. Waiting for paramedics, it was hard.''
Needham described the damage to the vehicle as extensive.
``The pole was almost to the steering wheel,'' he said.
A second person, who was driving by when he came upon the accident scene, said he saw beer in the car.
``I saw a case of beer ... in the back of the truck,'' said Carl Bryant of Kirkland. ``It was crumpled up.''
Detective O'Toole said that in such accidents, a sample of blood from the driver is analyzed to determine the level of alcohol. Such tests take about a week, he said.
All three of the injured Seahawks, and two of their teammates, had been at a billiards hall and tavern in downtown Kirkland on Thursday afternoon, a bartender said.
``They were in between about 4:30 and 6:30,'' said Kelly Simonson, a partner and bartender at The Shark. He said the five men consumed a total of about 10 beers and did not appear intoxicated.
The impact of the vehicle hitting the pole caused a power transmission wire to fall to the ground. Three power substations were shut down, a Puget Power spokeswoman said, leaving 15,000 people without power.
Power was returned to two-thirds of the customers within 10 to 15 minutes. Power was restored to about 4,500 customers after nearly an hour.
Word of the accident quickly spread among Seahawk players. At least 13 somber teammates gathered in the waiting room of the emergency room at the hospital.
``People started calling each other,'' said wide receiver Terrence Warren (no relation to Chris).
Almost all the players left the hospital shortly after 1 a.m. after being briefed by team officials. No player would talk to reporters.
``The entire Seahawk organization is in a state of shock and disbelief,'' said coach Tom Flores. ``There is a tremendous shock in that locker room.''
Flores said he met with Warren on Friday, but would not discuss their conversation.
Flores said in recent weeks, Frier ``played more and more and we were very pleased with the results. He is a likable guy and seemed to get along with everybody.''
Asked if the Seahawk organization would conduct its own investigation, Flores said, ``We will handle this the best we can in-house. We are the support system for the players. That is the main thing right now.''
Frier, of Jacksonville, N.C., has been with the Seahawks since Nov.2. He is a defensive tackle originally drafted in the seventh round by the Seahawks in 1992.
The team cut him at the end of training camp with the intention of putting him on the practice squad, but Cincinnati claimed him.
Cincinnati cut him this year after he had skipped practices because he was unhappy about playing time. The Seahawks claimed him, and he had played in two games for them and received high marks for his play against Kansas City.
Warren is one of the team's stars and ranks second in the AFC in rushing this season with 1,096 yards.
He has scored nine touchdowns and accounted for 40 percent of the Seahawks' offensive yardage with his running and receiving.
He has gained more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive years and went to the Pro Bowl, the National Football League's all-star game, last season.
Smith, drafted by the Seahawks in the third round last spring, has played in only two games and carried the ball twice this season. But he was expected to play more Sunday against Indianapolis because the Seahawks released Warren's backup, Jon Vaughn, on Monday.
by CNB