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Hockey Puck Destroys Ferrari...
Thrashers forward Dany Heatley, MVP of the 2003 All-Star Game and one of the NHL's rising young stars, has been charged in a high-speed Buckhead wreck that critically injured teammate Dan Snyder.
Both players were seriously injured in the 10:30 p.m. Monday one-car accident on Lenox Road and were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.
Snyder, 25, was listed in critical condition today after undergoing surgery for a depressed skull fracture, according to team president Stan Kasten. Snyder was out of surgery shortly before 10 a.m.
Heatley, 22, the NHL's 2002 rookie of the year, was listed in stable condition.
Snyder was thrown from the car, which was traveling "at an extremely high rate of speed," the police report said.
Heatley, who police said was driving, had a broken jaw, Kasten said, and several media outlets reported that he was conscious and talking. His 2002 black Ferrari, 360 Modena, was mangled beyond recognition in the crash.
According to the Atlanta police report, Heatley, was traveling south along Lenox Road near Alton Place NE. The report did not list exactly how fast the Ferrari was going.
Heatley's Ferrari, with Snyder in the passenger seat, lost control on a curve. Heatley swerved into the opposite lane, crossed the dividing line and left the pavement before crashing broadside into a brick pillar and iron fence. The impact of the crash broke the automobile in two.
Snyder was thrown into the road by the impact, and both he and Heatley suffered severe head injuries, according to the report.
Heatley's Ferrari showed at least 100 feet of skidmarks, the report added.
Heatley was charged with reckless driving, serious injury by vehicle,. driving too fast for conditions, driving on the wrong side of the road, and striking a fixed object, the report said.
Synder was thrown about 30 feet, landing on the roadway, authorities say. He was unconscious when taken to the hospital.
Heatley got out of the car on his own, but collapsed a few feet from the car, police say.
Due to the condition of the car, police were uncertain if either man was wearing a seatbelt or, if it would have made a difference, said Jeff Hensal, who works with the Atlanta Police Department's unit that investigates all serious accidents.
"The car was so destroyed the seatbelts were shattered," Hensal said. "It's by the grace of God that they were still alive."
Heatley, like all drivers in accidents with serious injuries, took a blood-alcohol test. Results may not be known for days or weeks.
Last year, Heatley was involved in another wreck not far from where Monday night's crash occurred.
On Jan. 10, 2002, Heatley rear-ended another vehicle on Roxboro Road near Rockhaven Circle, according to an Atlanta police report.
Heatley, who was driving a 2001 Infiniti QX4, told the investigating officer that he didn't notice that a 1997 Infiniti had stopped for traffic. His car hit the older Infiniti, knocking it into a Jeep Cherokee.
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