Alonzo Mourning?s alleged hit-and-run accident will see him in court

Posted on | Thursday, July 28, 2011 | No Comments

Back in March we brought you the heartwarming story of the time Alonzo Mourning attempted to stop traffic so that a pedestrian in a wheelchair could cross the street in busy Miami traffic.

Today's Zo-related traffic report is a little sketchier. According to a gentleman by the name of William Candelario, Mourning was on the giving end of a hit-and-run accident last weekend, and Mourning is being sued for allegedly fleeing the scene of the accident in question.

According to Candelario, his Audi was stopped on the road after a previous accident not involving Mourning. Alonzo's Porsche allegedly slammed into the parked Audi, flipping it several times. Mourning reportedly took off, and this is where things get even more unseemly.

From the Sun-Sentinel, via Pro Basketball Talk:

The collisions occurred between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sunday on the causeway near the intersection with I-95.

The incident is still being investigated and charges are pending, [Sgt.Tom] Pikul said.

Candelario told his attorney the 6-foot-10 former All-Star returned to the crash scene about 45 to 50 minutes later in a vehicle driven by his wife, Tracy.

That early in the morning, no pun intended, and he allegedly returns nearly an hour later with someone else driving? This might not turn out well.

If you'll allow my car nerd-dom to take over for a second, I do have to question the idea that any typical Porsche could ram into a recent make of Audi, flip it over several times (that, to me, is dubious enough) and then be able to drive away.

Audis are famous for their all-wheel drive, a feature that results in heavier cars, whereas most makes of Porsches are prized for their light weight. It's hard to believe that the speed needed to crash into and roll over a parked Audi would still leave the Porsche in working shape -- even if the Porsche in question was either the sturdier four-door Panamera or the Cayenne SUV.

It's an odd story, that's all. Especially while you try to reconcile Candelario claiming he was "nearly killed" in the upcoming lawsuit, and Mourning allegedly hitting a car he wasn't even in at the time. After his parents drove him to the hospital, Candelario was treated for injuries�that were apparently unrelated to Mourning's crash-and-dash.

If it's true that Mourning was driving when he shouldn't have been, true that he destroyed this guy's car, and true that he initially left the scene only to return later with another driver, then he should have to pay up, and we should be questioning his judgement. But unless something is being left out by Candelario, taking Mourning to the cleaners over some near-vehicular manslaughter charge seems a bit much.

UPDATE: A more recent Miami Herald story sounds much, much more plausible than the Sun-Sentinel's take:

William Candelario, 20, said he was driving home from Miami Beach at around 3 a.m. when he collided with another car causing his Audi 2010 to flip over several times, according to Coral Gables attorney Spencer Aronfeld.

At some point, Mourning, driving a Porsche, collided into Candelario's disabled car.

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