A Dallas couple is suing Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Lachee Rice and SMU cornerback Theodore “Teddy” Knox, along with at least five others, in connection with a multi-vehicle crash last month. was injured.
Edvard Petrovsky and Irina Gromova are seeking more than $1 million through a lawsuit filed Thursday in Dallas County. Their lawyer Sanjay Mathur said: dallas morning news On Monday, they both said they were “quite shaken up by what happened” and were still receiving treatment.
He said he has not heard from Rice or Knox.
“They felt that filing a lawsuit was the best way to fulfill their responsibilities not only to themselves but to the public at large,” Mathur said.
Lawyers for Rice and Knox did not respond to requests for comment.
The suit alleges that the two football players challenged each other to a “high-speed race” despite knowing the road was “busy with commuter traffic.” Petrovsky and Gromova suffered “severe injuries,” including brain trauma, facial lacerations that required stitches, bruising, disfigurement and internal bleeding, the complaint said.
The lawsuit appears to be the first reported in connection with the March 30 crash. Dallas police officials announced last week that Rice and Knox were each charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision with serious injury and six counts of collision with injury.
Officials said Rice admitted to driving one of the two luxury sports cars that caused the six-vehicle crash in the 6600 block of North Central Expressway. He and Knox turned themselves in to Glen Heights police last week.
Mathur said the criminal justice system has limits on the amount that can be issued in fines, noting that the maximum amount for most felonies is $10,000. The question for them is whether the amount is appropriate or harsh enough to deter others from doing the same, he said.
“I don't think criminal charges are necessarily effective when it comes to compensating victims,” Mathur said. “I also do not believe that filing criminal charges would be sufficient punitive action against the perpetrators of the incident or the general public.”
crash
In their lawsuit, the couple noted that Mr. Rice was an accomplished soccer player who achieved “both fame and fortune.”
Rice, selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2023 draft, signed a four-year contract worth $6.4 million with $3.5 million guaranteed. Rice's base salary for the 2024 season will be $1.045 million. He has already earned $2.4 million in lifetime earnings, not including potential endorsements.
Rice's guaranteed money will be paid during the first two years of his contract.
With that “good fortune” comes responsibility, the lawsuit said, noting that he failed to abide by that principle “despite being aware of the existence of multiple innocent commuters and their families.”
Dallas Police Department spokeswoman Christine Lowman said the drivers of a Chevrolet Corvette and a Lamborghini Urus were speeding on the freeway near Lovers Lane and University Boulevard around 6:20 p.m. He said he lost it.
According to Rice's arrest warrant affidavit, both vehicles “made numerous aggressive maneuvers” and “taken erroneous evasive maneuvers” to avoid colliding with the sedan and other vehicles, but the two vehicles did not reach each other. It is said that he did. The collision with the sedan caused a cascading collision that continued to impact three other vehicles, according to the affidavit.
The Urus was traveling 119 mph 4.5 seconds before the crash, according to the affidavit. The Corvette was traveling at 116 mph 7.5 seconds before the crash and slowed to 91 mph about 1.5 seconds before the crash.
The speed limit on that highway is 110 miles per hour. Police wrote in an affidavit that the “reckless” driving “put multiple people at risk of loss of life and serious injury.”
leave the scene
Rice and four other men were seen on video leaving the scene after the crash. Police said the men did not stop to check if anyone needed medical treatment or to provide information.
Rice's attorney, state Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), said at a press conference on April 4 that Rice, a former Richland High School and SMU star, confessed to driving the Lamborghini. He said he did. He said his client was not trying to run or hide from anyone, but offered no explanation as to why Rice left the scene.
After the crash, Rice, Knox, and their passengers had the opportunity to “witness the carnage of the vehicle and the severely injured, bleeding, and visibly distressed commuters,” according to the complaint. It is said that The lawsuit alleges that even though the victims were “in a state of shock, calling for emergency help and desperately trying to get out of their mangled vehicle,” the football players “deliberately and knowingly assaulted the injured commuters.” Aid was evaded,” he added.
West said at a news conference that Rice would “do everything in his power” to reach out to some of the crash victims and help them return to normalcy. He said Rice knew people could be seriously injured, so he came forward and answered “all the questions” from police.
SMU officials said Knox was suspended from the football team after the school learned of his alleged involvement. Police said the sports car's passengers will not be charged.
Arrest warrant affidavits detailed injuries to several victims, including the driver who suffered “severe injuries” to the face, head, torso and legs. Her affidavit states that she will be forced to “live with limited mobility and limited vision for an undetermined period of time while receiving her medical treatment.”
The couple's experience behind the lawsuit was shared immediately after the accident.the lawyer said news The couple were on their way to a friend's 50th birthday party when two luxury cars collided with their white Lexus. Their SUV spun across the roadway until it hit a freeway wall.
Other victims also spoke out, including 27-year-old Kayla Quinn. news She and her four-year-old son were left shaken by the crash that left their Hyundai Accent “undriveable.” Another attorney, Mark Lenahan, said: news He represents victims who were T-boned by Uber.
The lawsuit notes that while Rice publicly expressed responsibility and goodwill after the crash, no such statements were made at the scene.
The complaint states that by the time he has a “moral awakening,” “the opportunity to gather evidence regarding Rice and Knox's state of mind and their level of intoxication from any intoxicating substance will be forever diminished or lost.” It is being
Rice met with police for the first time four days after the crash. Police have not released information on whether anyone involved in the accident is suspected to have been intoxicated.
Staff writer Calvin Watkins contributed to this report.
