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The two people who say they sustained gnarly wounds in the Rashee Rice car crash earlier this year are now hoping the Chiefs star's own recent injury will expedite an amicable resolution to their impending lawsuit.

Edvard Petrovskiy and Irina Gromova said in court documents filed back in April that they suffered brain trauma, lacerations to their face, bruises on their bodies, as well as internal bleeding after Rice and his friend lost control of their sports cars on March 30 and crashed into their ride while speeding down a Texas highway.

Petrovskiy and Gromova asked for no less than $10 million in punitive damages -- but there appears to be no disposition to the suit in sight ... as court records show a trial in the case isn't slated to begin until June 2025.

But, Sanjay S. Mathur, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement to TMZ Sports this week that following the wide receiver's knee injury Sunday ... he's hopeful things will now change.

"We are saddened to hear about Rashee Rice's injury on the football field and hope for his quick recovery," Mathur said. "We recognize that injuries can significantly impact one's life, causing both physical pain and mental distress. They disrupt routines, hobbies, daily chores, and activities. Injuries often lead to medical procedures and bills, and they can hinder one’s ability to earn a living."

"We are struck by the fact that Rice was injured at a time when the plaintiffs in our case against him are seeking justice for their own injuries," Mathur continued. "We hope that these recent developments will foster empathy, a resolve to seek resolution, and, most importantly, an acceptance of responsibility toward the injured parties in our case."

Rice, who has previously expressed remorse for his role in the wreck, was hurt while attempting to make a tackle following a Patrick Mahomes interception against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium. The extent of his injury has not yet been revealed -- although the Chiefs have placed him on injured reserve ... meaning he'll miss at least the next four Kansas City games.

Despite suffering yet another scary head injury, Tua Tagovailoa is still going to try to return to the NFL -- so says his close family friend, Manti Te'o.

The former New Orleans Saints linebacker made the revelation to us out in Los Angeles this week -- some 21 days after Tagovailoa sustained his third diagnosed concussion in a "Thursday Night Football" matchup with the Bills.

Te'o says while he's tried to give the 26-year-old signal-caller his space as he recovers from the brain trauma ... he did recently speak with the Dolphins star's father -- and from everything he's hearing, Tua is "going to try to get back."

The famed haunted house from "Poltergeist" is getting revived following a recent sale ... and it's coming back as a short term rental.

Christian Melgar and Zo Amilee with Coldwell Banker Realty Westlake Village tell TMZ ... the Simi Valley, CA house sold Friday for $1.28 million, which was $100,000 over the asking price.

We're told the new owner is an investor from Los Gatos, CA ... and they are planning to turn the home into an Airbnb that will replicate the actual "Poltergeist" film set.

In other words, each room will have furniture and décor that makes the space look just how it looked in the film.

Halloween is right around the corner and horror movie buffs would line up to rent the place, but we're told the home won't be ready in time ... because the owner wants to make it perfect and not rush things.

So, maybe next year folks.

As we reported ... the home -- which served as the central location in the Steven Spielberg-scripted supernatural flick -- went on the market back in August, the first time in 45 years the home had been listed.

Dolly Parton quickly got back to work after making a huge donation to Hurricane Helene relief ... and TMZ has video of her entertaining at a private event.

Here's the deal ... the country superstar just pledged $1 million to help Hurricane Helene victims in a partnership with Walmart ... the chain is donating a whopping $10 million!

While in Bentonville, Arkansas at the Walmart HQ on Friday ... Dolly put on a private show in an event for Walmart employees with 35, 40, or 45 years of service under their belt, TMZ learned.

Travis Kelce's "Grotesquerie" character was a stripper back in the day, but he's now getting opportunities to bring Ed Lachlan's past back to the present ... with several male revues telling TMZ Sports they would love "Big Peter and His Banana Splitter" to make a special appearance!!

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar made his debut on the Ryan Murphy show this past week ... and in one scene, his role was revealed as a former dancer at a male strip club in Juneau, Alaska, where he was "jiggling it for horny mamas coming off of cruise ships."

Unfortunately, there weren't any flashback scenes.

Boyz II Men will be keeping an extra close eye on UFC 307 on Saturday night ... 'cause the legendary R&B group has a special and tragic connection to Khalil Rountree.

Shawn Stockman and Nathan Morris, two-thirds of the 4x Grammy Award-winning group, joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) this week where they talked about the Rountrees.

Back in 1992, Khalil's dad, Roderick "Khalil" Rountree, was Boyz II Men's road manager. After a May 1992 show in the Chicago area, Khalil was gunned down by three men who'd been caught trying to break into his hotel room, according to reports.

Danielle Bregoli, AKA Bhad Bhabie, has a drastically better relationship with her estranged father, Ira Peskowitz ... TMZ has learned he is fully back in her life.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Danielle reconciled with her dad back in the summer of 2023. We're told she's the one who reached out to him ... resulting in a few initial conversations over text and the phone.

Danielle then saw her dad during a past visit to Florida. The trip clearly went well, as she later invited Ira, his wife and Danielle's 2 half-brothers to L.A. last month to celebrate her daughter, Kali's half-birthday.

If it were up to David Ortiz, there would be no debate over Pete Rose's Hall of Fame candidacy ... as he tells TMZ Sports the Reds legend should have been inducted years ago.

Big Papi made his opinion loud and clear while out at LAX on Friday -- just four days after Rose died from heart disease -- saying straight up, "I thought he should have been a Hall of Famer a long time ago."

"Mistakes are mistakes," the former Red Sox star said. "But sometimes there's exceptions to the rules, you know what I'm saying? And, he's one-of-a-kind."

Kayla Harrison is locked in on her UFC 307 opp Ketlen Vieira ... but the 2x Olympic gold medalist tells TMZ Sports she's SO prepared, she's ready to also kick both Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington's asses, too -- same night!

We caught up with the UFC bantamweight contender this week ... ahead of what'll almost surely be a title eliminator when she squares off with Vieira in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.

While she is not scheduled to face Pennington or Peña ... Harrison said she's heard that if either the champ or challenger drops out of the title fight, she could be called upon to step in.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker aren't taking any risks when it comes to the safety of their home ... requesting local police keep a close eye on their pad.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the reality TV star and the blink-182 drummer, who own multiple properties across Southern California, requested extra patrols for their marital home earlier in the week.

We're told the couple has made the request due to past trespassers who've made their way onto the property ... though, there isn't a current threat they're concerned about.

Bronny James' NBA gear is rakin' in bank before ever playing a regular season game ... 'cause the young hooper's first Summer League jersey sold for over $38K!!

The purple and gold uniform top from the July 12 tilt between the Lakers and Houston Rockets at the Las Vegas SL was recently sold by Sotheby's (in mid-September) ... and is now part of "Lakers Shrine," one of if not the most impressive private collection of Lakers memorabilia in the world.

Bronny played 27 minutes, scoring 8 points in the contest.

LeVar Burton is paying tribute to John Amos following news of the actor's death ... crediting the late star for making history in Hollywood.

We caught up with the actor outside ABC Studios in NYC Friday, where LB had nothing but good things to say about the late TV legend. As LeVar put it ... John's legacy is to be celebrated, especially regarding his work as James Evans on "Good Times."

He noted ... "For me, personally, John's legacy will be that he changed the way Black men were perceived on television in America. James Evans was a householder and, prior to that, Black men were really portrayed as absentee fathers, deadbeat dads, that sort of thing. Only good for prison and jail. John Amos changed that."

Lana Del Rey's new husband Jeremy Dufrene has a dark sense of humor ... which takes center stage in his alligator act down in the bayou.

Check it out ... the airboat captain faces off against a massive alligator during one tour down in Louisiana. Jeremy proves to be a pro at handling the large reptile ... though, he jokes he's less skilled in his personal life -- taking a jab at his ex-wife in the process.

He tells the tourists aboard his boat ... "Me and [the alligator] have been pretty tight ever since I fed him my ex-wife. I'm just kidding. I'm kidding."

Lyle and Erik Menendez's lawyer is feeling confident after the L.A. County District Attorney's Office announced they're reviewing new evidence in the Menendez brothers case ... which could potentially result in the brothers' release from prison.

We had Mark Geragos on "TMZ Live" Friday, where he explained why he has a positive outlook about his clients' case following Thursday's press conference. As Geragos puts it ... D.A. George Gascón is brave to touch the controversial 35-year-old case in an election year, as Gascón himself is on the ballot in November.

The lawyer feels the D.A. is serious when he said his office is reviewing sexual abuse claims Lyle and Erik have made against their late father, Jose Menendez. Those allegations were not allowed to be presented in the brothers' 2nd murder trial ... which led to their life without parole convictions.

The mother of Fernando Tatis Jr.'s two-year-old daughter is dragging the MLB superstar to court in an effort to try to get him to dole out more child support ... but the San Diego Padres outfielder's attorney claims she's spewing lies in the process.

Jennifer Rodriguez claimed this week in court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, that back in September 2021 -- following a yearslong, non-exclusive relationship -- she became pregnant with Tatis Jr.'s child.

She said in the docs that, initially, she had hoped the two would work together to co-parent their kid ... but following a paternity test that confirmed Tatis Jr. was the father -- the baseball player and those close to him began treating the "impending birth like a business deal."

Erik and Lyle Menendez are experiencing newfound fame behind bars thanks to the popular Netflix series about the gruesome murders of their parents ... and there's a weird request that keeps coming up in the fan mail that's been pouring in, TMZ has learned.

A source with knowledge at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego tells TMZ ... the infamous Menendez brothers have seen a "huge" increase in mail from fans (and, of course, some haters) thanks to wild interest in Netflix's "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."

Perhaps the most interesting item the brothers are being sent ... 1990-91 Hoops Mark Jackson NBA cards -- the brothers are on the card, snapped sitting in the Knicks crowd, after the murders, before their arrests -- and people want 'em autographed.