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Andrew Flintoff was involved in a horrendous road accident on 13 December 2022. The former English all-rounder was driving an open-topped three-wheel Morgan Super 3 at a speed of around 130mph while filming for a BBC motoring series when the incident happened.
The former England skipper suffered various facial injuries and a few broken ribs. Flintoff was lucky to survive the said crash and had to be airlifted from the site of the accident.
The former all-rounder has rapidly recovered after the accident and joined the English ODI team as a consultant for the series against New Zealand. The facial injuries that he sustained during the accident are still visible on Flintoff's face.
Apart from Flintoff, there have been a few other cricketers who have survived road accidents in the last five years. Here is a look at five such cricketers:
#1 Rishabh Pant
The star Indian keeper-batsman had a major accident on 30th December 2022. Pant, while travelling from Delhi to Roorkee in his car, fell asleep and his vehicle collided with a divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee and thereafter caught fire.
Pant was badly injured and sustained multiple injuries viz. cuts on the forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee, ankle, toe, and injuries on his back.
Pant had to be hospitalized for almost a month and had to undergo surgery. The keeper-batsman is slowly but steadily recovering and will be hopeful of making a return to competitive cricket in 2024.
#2 Praveen Kumar
The former Indian pacer had a lucky escape and survived a major car accident in July 2023.
Praveen, at the time of the accident, was driving his Land Rover Defender and was accompanied by his son. His car was hit by a speeding truck and the car was badly damaged. Luckily, Praveen and his son escaped unhurt. The truck driver was subsequently taken into police custody.
#3 Oshane Thomas
The Windies pacer was involved in a car accident in Jamaica on 16 February 2020. His vehicle collided with another one on the motorway and overturned on Highway 2000 in St. Catherine.
Thomas sustained injuries and was immediately hospitalized. Three years on, Thomas has fully recovered from the accident and has been a part of the West Indies squad in the recent past.
#4 Mohammed Shami
The Indian pacer was part of an accident on March 2018 while travelling from Dehradun to Delhi. The said accident took place early morning when the pacer was on his way to practice at the Abhimanyu Academy.
Shami's car was hit by a truck and he got four stitches on his head post the accident. Shami recovered completely after the accident and currently is the backbone of the Indian pace attack in Tests and ODIs.
#5 Kusal Mendis
The Sri Lankan keeper-batsman was arrested in July 2020 after the vehicle he was driving crashed into the bicycle of a resident of Gokarella. The impact was such that the bicycle rider died on the spot.
The said accident took place at around 5 am at the Old Galle Road in Colombo. Mendis escaped unhurt and was later released on bail. He was thereafter ordered to compensate the family members of the deceased.
