Dermarr

[John Hall]

Looks like he'll be okay.


 [ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 9/13/02 ]

Hawks' Johnson hurt in car wreck

By TASGOLA BRUNER and JEFFREY DENBERG
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writers

The Hawks' DerMarr Johnson escaped with his life and, apparently his NBA
career, Friday morning after a fiery one-car accident on Cascade Road.
Johnson was diagnosed by Dr. Paul King at Atlanta Medical Center with a
fracture in his sixth vertebrae.

"A fraction of an inch one way or the other, and the doctor said it would
have been very bad," Hawks executive vice-president and general manager
Pete Babcock said.

The third-year player, 22, may be able to leave the hospital early next
week, and the anticipation is that he will be able to continue his career.

The accident occurred at around 5 a.m. today. It is not known whether
Johnson was a passenger or the driver of the car. The vehicle, a newer
model Mercedes, was going west on Cascade Road just west of Fairburn Road
when it crossed the center line and ran into a tree, said Maj. Wenda
Phifer, spokeswoman for the Fulton County Police Department.

A witness in a passing car, Ali Laila, told police she saw the car in
flames and three individuals lying on the ground. She helped them and took
them to get medical assistance. The car was "completely destroyed," Phifer
said.

"Everyone in the car was tested. Whether or not there was alcohol involved
we don't know at this point," she said.

The other two men in the car were Floyd Williams and James Richard
Burnett, Phifer said. One suffered serious internal injuries, she said.
The other received non-threatening injuries.

Johnson, 22, was a first-round pick of the Hawks in 2000, the sixth choice
overall even though he played just one year of college basketball at
Cincinnati. He played little his rookie year but began to get more playing
time later in his second pro season. A 6-9 small forward, he started 46
games last year and averaged 8.4 points a game. As a rookie, Johnson
started 21 games and averaged 5.1 point.

Johnson, who has been focusing on upper body strength during the
off-season had just attended a three-day voluntary workout that went
Tuesday through Thursday. Official training camp opens Oct. 1.

Hawks spokesman Jon Steinberg said the opening day's starting roster is
determined in training camp but, On paper, he was slated to be the starter
at shooting guard.





--------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: address@hidden
For additional commands, e-mail: address@hidden