Mets star Pete Alonso said he survived "brutal" car crash on his way to spring training
New York Mets star Pete Alonso said Monday that he got in a "brutal car accident" on his way to spring training on Sunday, calling it "a really close experience to death." Alonso said the accident will not impact his ability to play, and told reporters that he's "just really thankful to be alive."
Alonso said he was driving to spring training when another driver ran a red light and t-boned him. He said his car flipped over "probably about three times."
"I'm just really thankful to be alive, I'm really thankful that I'm healthy," the first baseman said. "I was coming here to work, coming to spring training, and then the next thing I know I'm kicking my windshield in trying to get out of a flipped over car."
Pete Alonso says he got into an awful car accident in Tampa on the way to spring training yesterday. Another driver ran through a red light, his car flipped over, and he kicked through his windshield to get out. pic.twitter.com/1WPd8YheRh
— Deesha (@DeeshaThosar) March 14, 2022
CBS Sports reported that Alonso's wife Haley was driving behind him in a separate car, and was able to immediately call 911 after witnessing the accident.
Haley posted a video showing the aftermath of the accident on Instagram, writing that she had been "terrified" of what she would see when she approached her husband's car after the crash.
"I couldn't see inside of the truck because the windshield was shattered. I screamed for him just hoping that he'd be able to answer me," she wrote. "He said he was ok and was going to kick out the windshield to escape since he was trapped."
Alonso said her husband "only had a single scratch on his arm" once he was able to get out of the car, calling it a "miracle."
"I thought I watched my husband die in front of me and I will never forget that feeling. This could've easily unfolded much differently and that's what is so scary," she wrote.
Alonso was able to participate in spring training on Monday, CBS Sports reported. Last season, he led the Mets in hits, home runs, RBIs and batting averages. In 2019, he broke the major league record for the most home runs by a rookie with 53.