Car Crashes

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Crystal Kung Minkoff is gettin' sued ... along with her filmmaker husband and her brother over a car accident they allegedly caused.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Candice Shahandeh-Rad claims she was stopped on the off-ramp of an L.A. freeway last November in her Audi when she was "suddenly and violently" rear-ended, causing her to hit the car in front of her.

The docs say Crystal's brother, Jeffrey Kung, was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.  Candice claims Jeffrey got out of the Mercedes-Benz and "admitted he was distracted" ... although the lawsuit doesn't go into further detail about why or how.

We're told neither Crystal or her hubby Rob Minkoff -- a director of several hit films for Disney -- were in the Benz, but the plaintiff believes they own the car and/or employ her brother as a driver.

Candice says she suffered injuries from the crash, not to mention damage to her car, too. We got pictures of what we're told is the aftermath of the accident, and it shows the smashed front end of the Mercedes.

Two teens led police on a wild high-speed car chase through Minneapolis that ended with them crashing through an overpass railing and tumbling down an embankment ... and it was all caught on video.

Check out this surveillance footage showing the 14-year-old driver and 15-year-old passenger in a Kia ... racing along Interstate 94 as police gave chase. The Minnesota state trooper tried to pull over the stolen Kia, but the driver kept going, reaching speeds of 94 MPH.

At some point, the Kia lost control during the pursuit and crashed through the fence of the overpass, flipping over on the embankment. The teens ran across the busy highway from the wreckage, but police soon captured them. It's unclear what charges they may face.

Top NFL prospect Jalen Carter -- the potential No. 1 overall pick in next month's draft -- turned himself in to police on Wednesday night ... posing for a mug shot -- before quickly being released.

The former Univ. of Georgia star defensive lineman was booked at 11:33 PM, according to jail records -- just hours after the Athens-Clarke County Police Department issued warrants for his arrest for his alleged role in a January car crash that killed two people.

The records show Carter was released just 16 minutes after he was initially booked. He's facing misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing.

In his mug shot, Carter -- wearing a white tank top -- appeared to be emotionless and stoic.

As we reported, cops have accused Carter of racing UGA staffer Chandler LeCroy in a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk ... before LeCroy's 2021 Ford Expedition veered off the road and crashed into power poles and trees.

Police said in a statement Wednesday morning, an investigation into the crash showed both Carter and LeCroy "switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel" -- adding that LeCroy reached speeds of 104 MPH before the accident.

Carter, who was at the NFL's combine in Indianapolis when the arrest warrant was made public, immediately left the league's scouting event to head back to Georgia. He later said in a statement, "There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing."

Cops have just issued an arrest warrant for top NFL draft prospect Jalen Carter ... after they said he was racing a Univ. of Georgia football assistant moments before her fatal car crash in January.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Dept. said Wednesday morning an investigation into the Jan. 15 wreck -- the one that claimed the lives of UGA staffer Chandler LeCroy and Bulldogs football player Devin Willock -- revealed Carter and LeCroy had been driving recklessly "in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other."

They said the probe into the crash revealed Carter, driving a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk, and LeCroy, driving a 2021 Ford Expedition, "switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists, and drove at high rates of speed" at around 2:30 AM after leaving the downtown Athens area.

They added that LeCroy made it up to 104 MPH ... before she ultimately veered off the road and struck two power poles and trees -- killing her and Willock, while injuring the other two passengers in the vehicle.

Cops said they've now secured arrest warrants against Carter, a star defensive lineman for Georgia the past three years, for reckless driving and racing.

Police also said Tuesday that a toxicology report showed LeCroy's BAC was .197 at the time of the accident. They officially deemed alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed as "significant contributing factors to the crash."

LeCroy was just 24 years old. Willock was just 20.

21-year-old Carter, meanwhile, is projected to be a top-five pick in next month's NFL draft -- with some insiders believing he could go No. 1 overall. He was slated to speak at the NFL's combine in Indianapolis later Tuesday. It's unclear if that will still happen.

Ben Kweller, a singer-songwriter who's toured with the likes of Ed Sheeran and others, experienced a major tragedy in his family ... through the unexpected death of his teen son.

16-year-old Dorian Zev Kweller was killed in a car accident Monday, Ben confirmed Tuesday. He took to social media to share the update, writing ... "There’s no way that I can be typing this but I am…. Our son, Dorian Zev Kweller, was killed last night. He was only 16 and he was a true legend. Kindest, gentle soul, a friend to all. If you knew him, you know. We’ll never get over him as long as we’re here on earth. Please keep his spirit alive with your memories and the music he made."

Ben says his son was an aspiring recording artist himself, adding that he would write/produce songs everyday on his own accord ... and that the kid was a true poet with a bright future ahead. In fact, BK says Dorian was scheduled to play his first gig at SXSW in 2 weeks.

He goes on to say this ... "My baby boy was at the starting line with so much life ahead of him… I have no idea why things like this happen. We’re in complete shock and don’t know what the future holds. Lizzy, Judah, and I have no idea how to deal with this disaster. Thank you for your prayers and support and we apologize if we are slow to respond to messages."

The exact circumstances of the crash have yet to be released -- but his mother, Liz, confirmed he'd died in a wreck. Dorian is survived by his parents and younger sibling.

No rock, but Ben Affleck was recently caught between a couple of REALLY hard places ... doing his best to get his fancy car out and on its way in a hilariously relatable video.

Ben and his Mercedes-Benz were subject to a super tight squeeze Monday in Brentwood, CA ... crammed between 2 other parked cars along a curb. You can see him smoking a cig with his Dunkin' on the top of the car before working on his escape.

We've all been there, and you gotta admit it's pretty infuriating ... and, as Ben goes back and forth in this spot, he hits the car up front a few times before pulling away -- whoops.

As we reported, this isn't the actor's first bout of trouble behind the wheel ... he and Jen were pulling into a Starbucks in West. L.A. last year as a sign got stuck in his back rim. Luckily, a couple of paps jumped in to save the day.

Ben's son, Samuel also go into a fender bender last year -- hopping into the driver's seat of a Lambo and accidentally reversing it into a white BMW.

Morgan Wallen's ex-fiancée, Katie Smith, who he shares a child with, is lucky to be alive after a scary car crash left her with extensive injuries to her face.

Smith took to Instagram to share a photo from the gnarly crash that happened in Nashville Wednesday night. You can see the SUV Katie says she was driving totally smashed up, after she says a semi ran a red light and slammed into the vehicle.

Katie shared images of her injuries, the right side of her face totally bruised and swollen, she says her vehicle spun around several times ... and she's having a hard time walking as well.

It's unclear how if the driver of the semi suffered serious injuries, but it appears Smith's passengers -- she tagged TikToker  Caden Mcguire in the wreckage pic -- also made it out with minor injuries.

"Euphoria" star Angus Cloud has found himself in the crosshairs of the CHP after his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run ... and now, cops wanna talk.

The whole thing went down Tuesday in Marina del Rey where a witness tells us, Cloud and another male were driving around in an SUV that rear-ended a Toyota and then took off into a nearby parking lot.

We're told at least one person, a female, in the Toyota suffered injuries to her legs and arms -- with bruising and redness.

After the chaos from the accident settled down, the witness -- who knew the people in the Toyota -- went to look for Cloud and the SUV in the parking lot where he says Angus and the other person in the car had driven, but they were nowhere to be found.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... while the "Euphoria" star is not officially a suspect in the case, his name has been floated for possible involvement -- cops want to speak with him to determine if he was involved and/or responsible for the wreck.

BTW ... hit-and-run can be charged as a felony in California.

More bad news for Tesla -- somebody driving one of their vehicles died this weekend after crashing into a firetruck ... and happened to be in the same model that's now facing a recall.

The accident happened Saturday in Walnut Creek, CA -- where officials say a Tesla Model S plowed into a fire engine that was blocking off a freeway to cover another crew that was clearing a separate accident on I-680. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and a passenger in the car as well was transported to a hospital ... their condition is unknown.

Photos taken from the crash site show the Tesla completely crushed, and the truck was severely damaged as well. A few firefighters who were on the truck suffered minor injuries.

Law enforcement says it's unclear if the driver was under the influence or if they were using a self-driving feature. If it's discovered the driver was, in fact, using the autopilot -- which has since come under major scrutiny -- it could spell more trouble for the EV company.

Tesla is currently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -- which is looking into how their automated driving system works in response to emergency vehicles on the road ... this after at least 14 crashes under very similar circumstances.

Ryan Shepard, who acted as Eminem's stunt double in the early 2000s, has died ... tragically losing his life after getting hit while attempting to cross the street.

Ryan's brother Kyle tells TMZ ... Ryan died in Washington at the end of January after getting hit by an oncoming pickup truck. Emergency responders rushed him to a hospital, but it was too late.

Ryan worked not only as Eminem's stunt double but also as his photo double and stand-in ... appearing at the MTV Movie Awards as Eminem's superhero character, Rap Boy.

He took the stage again with the rapper for his 2002 Anger Management Tour, and on his Japan and Europe tour the following year -- he also appeared in D12's "Purple Hills" music video as Eminem's double.

Kyle tells us Ryan was incredibly intelligent ... going on to work at Disney as a ride mechanical engineer, and eventually moving to Elon Musk's SpaceX as a test automation engineer.

Ryan leaves behind his 2 children, a 7-year-old and an 11-year-old.

He was 40 years old.

The family of the late "Street Outlaws: Fastest in America" star Ryan Fellows claims both TV networks and studios put his life at risk for financial gain by having him race on an unsafe stretch of road ... and now they're suing over his fatal crash.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the Fellows family is going after Warner Bros. Discovery and Lions Gate Entertainment ... accusing the media corporations of negligence they insist led to Ryan's death.

In the docs, the family says the area where 'Street Outlaws' filmed drag racing scenes was a dusty, weather-beaten, rough asphalt 55-mile per hour roadway in the Las Vegas desert, which didn't meet any of the industry safety standards for drag racing.

TMZ broke the story ... Ryan died back in August in a fiery crash during filming for his popular Discovery show. We were told Ryan was racing another driver when he lost control of his car near the finish line, with the vehicle rolling before catching fire.

In the docs, Ryan's family says the roadway where he crashed was only 12 feet wide instead of the industry standard of 30 feet. They also say the sides of the road featured broken asphalt and gravel shoulders with sheer drop-offs, instead of the industry standard concrete barriers.

Ryan's family claims there were numerous crashes during filming, including cars flipping, rolling and catching fire ... and they rip the media giants for filming life-threatening collisions and airing them on TV for profit.

The family claims the rough asphalt caused racecars to lose traction, the narrow lanes left drivers no room for corrections and the gravel shoulders and drop-offs sent racecars into out-of-control slides that only ended when the vehicles dug into the sand, flipped and rolled.

The Fellows say Warner Bros. Discovery knew it was extremely dangerous to hold races on the roadway ... and they claim it was an "extreme departure from what a reasonable careful person would do in the same situation to prevent harm to others."

It gets worse ... Ryan's family says Warner Bros. Discovery had multiple opportunities to move filming to a safer location after "numerous horrific crashes," but they say the network instead "sat back, flipped on the lights and cameras, and waited for the next inevitable crash."

That crash happened August 7, when Ryan's family claims his racecar lost traction on the roadway, slid off the road and flipped into a roll. The Fellows say Ryan's car rolled multiple times before coming to a rest upside down and catching fire, and they claim he hung upside down in the driver's seat on fire for more than 30 minutes before fire crews removed him from the car. By that time, the family says Ryan was horribly burned and dead.

The Fellows say after Ryan's death Warner Bros. Discovery moved the show to a dedicated 75-foot-wide drag strip at a professional California raceway ... and the family says the change "proves the availability and feasibility of a safer alternative to the unsafe desert roadway."

Ryan's family is now suing the media companies and they want punitive and compensatory damages because they say his death is causing suffering and loss of love and companionship.

Rasmus Andersson -- a Calgary Flames defenseman -- was terrifyingly hit by a car while riding a scooter in downtown Detroit on Wednesday ... but, thankfully, he's OK.

The NHL team explained the accident in a statement on Thursday ... revealing the 26-year-old was on his way to dinner via scooter when he was struck by a vehicle at around 6 PM.

The Flames said Andersson was transported to the Detroit Receiving Hospital for testing and, fortunately, was released a short time later.

He's now listed as day-to-day ... but will miss Thursday's game against the Detroit Red Wings.

"He was going through a crosswalk," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said on Thursday. "The good news -- and the most important thing -- is that Ras is doing well."

Treliving added that the team and Rasmus are "very lucky."

"It certainly could have been a lot worse. We want to make sure that we thank all those involved [in his care] and let everybody know that Ras is doing well."

According to the Detroit Police Department, there was "no indication of any alcohol at all." A spokesperson added that there will be no arrests or tickets issued.

"It was a basic accident," the DPD said.

Rasmus started his hockey career in 2012 when he joined the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League.

He left Sweden for North America and played for the Ontario Hockey League before he was picked by the Flames in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft.

Ex-NFL star Vontae Davis seemed to be sound asleep on the side of a highway near two wrecked vehicles after he was accused of drunkenly crashing his Tesla during an accident on Saturday morning ... new photos, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

In the pictures -- snapped just minutes after Davis allegedly rammed his ride into the back of a Toyota truck in Broward County, Fla. -- you can see Davis appeared to be unconscious on the pavement.

Wearing a mint-green corduroy set with his shoes still on, the 34-year-old former Indianapolis Colts defensive back was balled up with his head laying in his hands and his eyes closed.

A witness tells us that even as people moved around him -- including first responders, a clean-up crew and police -- Davis remained fast asleep ... until cops woke him up and put him in a squad car.

In Florida Highway Patrol dash cam footage we obtained, you can see Davis appeared to be having trouble staying awake there too.

During questioning, the two-time Pro Bowler seemed to fade in and out of consciousness ... and when one officer eventually began telling him why he was being arrested for DUI -- the cop said, "Your eyes are bloodshot. Your speech is slurred. You can barely stay awake. All right? You almost killed somebody."

Other photos from the scene we obtained show just how fortunate everyone is to have come away from the wreck alive -- you can see in the pics, Davis' Tesla was mangled ... as was the back of the Toyota.

Davis did admit to cops he had drank two "mixed drinks" before getting behind the wheel, but he said he had no recollection of the car accident.

The former football player, who spent 10 seasons in the NFL from 2009 to 2018, was ultimately arrested and booked on a charge of DUI.

A driver behind the wheel of a Tesla was fast asleep as the car traveled along a busy California freeway ... at least that's the way it looks in footage shot from another car.

You gotta see the video ... the Tesla driver is motionless as the electric vehicle zooms down Interstate 15 near Temecula, CA ... and it looks like they're sleeping, because they're wearing sunglasses and their head is tilted back and their mouth is open.

The folks who shot the video are convinced the Tesla driver is out like a light ... they say the Tesla zoomed past them Thursday when they noticed the driver was "knocked out," remarking how dangerous the situation appears.

The concerned commuters reportedly followed the Tesla for 15 minutes, honking their horn to try and wake the driver before calling police, who never caught up with the vehicle.

California Highway Patrol says there were no reported accidents involving a white Tesla in the area at the time the video was shot ... but the footage is still pretty scary.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was involved in a traffic accident that sent a bicyclist to the ER -- but it's not something he could've avoided or is to blame over ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the movie star was driving in West L.A. Sunday morning, when at some point ... a woman riding a bike on the road suddenly swerved into his lane and made contact with his vehicle -- something confirmed by 3 eyewitnesses.

We're told first responders arrived on the scene and that the woman was transported to a hospital. Arnold, our sources say, was also on the scene speaking with cops.

As for how the police view this, thus far ... law enforcement sources tell us it appears Schwarzenegger is not at fault for this collision. An investigation is ongoing, but we're told a determination has been made that it's something he simply couldn't have avoided.

Our sources tell us the woman suffered minor injuries, and is expected to be okay.

Dwayne Johnson's mom, Ata Johnson, was involved in a terrifying car crash on Wednesday night -- one that left her Cadillac totally mangled -- but, thankfully, he said "she's OK."

The Rock shared the news on his Instagram page Thursday evening ... revealing the accident was so bad, his mom's ride suffered a beat-up hood and bumper -- and a completely wrecked right front fender.

Fortunately, the former WWE superstar said the 74-year-old made it out of the accident apparently unscathed.

"Angels of mercy watched over my mom as she was in a car crash late last night," Dwayne said. "She’ll survive and continue to get evaluated."

He added, "This woman has survived lung cancer, tough marriage, head on collision with a drunk driver and attempted suicide. She’s a survivor, in ways that make angels and miracles real."

Dwayne didn't share further details of the crash -- but he did say it happened somewhere in Los Angeles ... and thanked the LAPD and LAFD for their rescue efforts.