West Ham forward, Michail Antonio, is recovering from surgery for a broken leg following a dramatic crash involving his £260,000 Ferrari FF.
The incident, which took place on Saturday in Theydon Bois, Essex, left Antonio trapped, confused and in a daze state in his wrecked luxury supercar after it collided with a tree.
This marks Antonio’s second major car accident. On Christmas Day 2019, he crashed a £210,000 Lamborghini into a garden wall on an icy road, narrowly avoiding injury in that incident.)
A witness (Samuel Banks) who came across the wrecked vehicle initially thought the car had been abandoned but stopped to investigate and discovered the West Ham ace inside.
“I said to him ‘hello’ to see if anyone was alive,” Samuel told The Sun. “I heard sirens and told him that help was on its way.”
Samuel continued, describing Antonio as visibly disoriented: “He was so disorientated. He said, ‘Where am I? What’s going on? What car am I in?’”
The impact of the crash was so severe that the driver’s side of the Ferrari was ripped apart, and Antonio is believed to have been thrown across to the passenger seat.
Samuel, who does not follow football and did not recognize Antonio, said, “I looked at him and thought, ‘He’s in big trouble.’”
He added: “I just said, ‘You’ve had an accident.’ He didn’t reply. He was looking around trying to make sense of what I just said. He was sitting in the passenger side.”
Witnesses also reported seeing smoke pouring from the wreckage. Emergency services arrived quickly at the scene, and Antonio was airlifted to a nearby hospital after being freed from the car.
A West Ham spokesperson confirmed the severity of Antonio’s injuries, saying: “Michail has undergone surgery on a lower limb fracture following a road traffic accident on Saturday afternoon. Michail will continue to be monitored in hospital over the coming days.”
The club also expressed its gratitude for the outpouring of support: “Everyone at the club wishes Michail a speedy recovery and wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the football family at large for the overwhelming support shown since yesterday’s news.”
The statement further extended thanks to the emergency services and medical teams who assisted Antonio during the crisis.
Antonio’s ex-wife, Debbie, traveled from her home in Manchester to be by his side in hospital.
The Ferrari FF involved in the crash was the fastest four-seat car in the world when it was released in 2011, capable of reaching speeds of 208 mph and accelerating from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.7 seconds.
