Mookie Blaylock Update: Ex-NBA star's lawyer blames fatal crash on blackout linked to medical condition, report says
(CBS/AP) JONESBORO, Ga. - The fatal car crash in Atlanta involving former NBA All-Star Daron "Mookie" Blaylock was caused by a medical emergency and is not a criminal matter, Blaylock's attorney, Don Samuel, told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
"He had a blackout and what caused it, whether it be from his NBA career or something else, we're trying to get to the bottom of it," Samuel told the paper Wednesday.
Blaylock, 46, is charged with vehicular homicide, driving with a suspended license and failure to maintain his lane in the May 31 crash that killed a passenger in the van he struck.
Blaylock was driving an SUV that crossed the center line of Tara Boulevard - about 20 miles south of downtown Atlanta - and struck a van carrying two people. One of the van's passengers, 43-year-old Monica Murphy, died hours after the crash. Her husband, who was driving the van, was treated at a hospital and released.
The former basketball star was also badly injured in the crash and was initially on life support. His condition was later upgraded to fair and he is now conscious and aware of what happened, his attorney told the paper.
"He's terribly, terribly upset about what happened," Samuel reportedly said. "Being remorseful is an understatement to how he feels."
Jonesboro Police Chief Franklin Allen has said investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash and that alcohol doesn't appear to be a factor.
Samuel told the paper that Blaylock did not attempt to swerve or brake in the moments leading up to the crash. He also says his client has experienced blackouts due to a medical condition in the past.
Blaylock, a first-round draft pick by the New Jersey Nets out of Oklahoma in 1989, has a history of drug and alcohol arrests. At the time of the wreck, he was wanted in Spalding County on charges of failure to appear in court, DUI and drug possession, Police Chief Allen said.