DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Famed professional boxer Errol Spence Junior is taking accountability for his 2019 drunk driving crash.
According to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, the 32-year-old pleaded guilty and was convicted in Dallas County Court of Criminal Appeals No. 2 of Driving While Intoxicated in connection to a 2019 single-vehicle crash that sent him to intensive care.
The crash happened around 3 a.m. on October 10, 2019, in the 500 block of South Riverfront Boulevard in Dallas. According to the District Attorney, Spence Jr. was speeding northbound on Riverfront Boulevard after visiting multiple bars when his Ferrari veered left over the median and flipped several times. Spence Jr. was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle and later rushed to the ICU. Spence Jr. was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Barry Sorrels and Stephanie Ola, of Sorrels Ola, released this statement on behalf of Errol Spence, Jr.:
“In October 2019, I was hanging out and having some drinks with some friends and ended up wrecking my car and nearly killing myself. Fortunately, no one else was involved in the accident and I am most grateful for that. It was an incident that would profoundly change my life. As I recovered, I thought of how much I could have lost and how blessed I was to have a second chance at life, but I also know with this platform I can spread a very powerful message. Don’t drink and drive. Not one drink. It’s not worth it. Thank you to my family, friends and those in the community who helped and supported me throughout this ordeal. I am forever grateful”
Errol Spence Jr. is currently a unified welterweight world champion boxer and is based out of DeSoto, Texas. Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot applauds Mr. Spence Jr. for using his platform to warn others of the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
“I commend Errol Spence Jr. for owning his mistakes and recognizing the recklessness of his decision to drive while intoxicated on the morning of October 10, 2019. Not only did he put his own life in danger, but he risked the lives of those around him,” said Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot. “While it would have been easier to hide from the truth, it is refreshing to see this world-class athlete step up and use his lapse in judgment as an opportunity to spread the message that it is never okay to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated. Mr. Spence Jr. is incredibly fortunate as he has been given a second chance after surviving this violent crash. I wish him the best of luck.”
According to TxDOT records, one person in Texas dies every eight hours and 31 minutes in a DUI-alcohol-related traffic crash.
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