Baseball manager involved in accident during radio interview

Sports talk radio makes for interesting sound bites, especially when players and coaches are interviewed live. An example was heard on Wednesday as Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams was conducting a radio interview while driving to the ballpark where his team was scheduled to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While Williams was fielding questions about how his shortstop was going to break out of a hitting slump, he broke the conversation by saying “Sorry guys, I just had an accident. Hold on. I got a police officer behind me. This guy’s gonna try to escape.” Apparently, Williams was involved in a hit-and-run accident, and the perpetrator was trying to evade authorities.

Indeed, the situation made for good radio, but it was interesting how a person who was on the phone was not the cause of the crash. Much has been made about how distracted driving is the cause of an increasing number of accidents, and how using hands-free modules were not much safer than using cell phones on their own.

Nevertheless, drivers in Southern California have a duty to use reasonable care while driving. If they breach this duty, by talking on a cell phone or texting while driving, they could be held liable for injuries and property damage stemming from a crash. This means that those injured in a crash can seek compensation for pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages and other costs associated with the crash.

A consummate professional, Williams continued the interview and essentially gave a synopsis of how police apprehended the offending driver. He reported that he was fine, but that his car lost its rear bumper.

Source: LA Times.com “Nationals’ Matt Williams involved in car wreck during radio interview,” Chuck Schilken, May 7, 2014