Tony Stewart says fatal crash was '100 percent an accident'
NASCAR driver Tony Stewart said the crash that killed Kevin Ward, Jr. last month was an accident and that he feels he did nothing wrong.
On Aug. 9 during a sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York, Ward, 20, was struck and killed when he left his car after it has been sent into the wall by Stewart's and angrily walked toward the middle of the track to confront the NASCAR star. Ontario County (N.Y.) District Attorney Michael Tantillo said that Ward was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the fatal accident, and this week a grand jury declined to pursue criminal charges against Stewart.
“I know 100 percent in my heart and in my mind that I did not do anything wrong. This was 100 percent an accident," Stewart told The Associated Press.
Stewart, a three-time Sprint Cup champion, said he was depressed and did not leave his house for weeks after the incident.
"You are part of something so tragic and so unthinkable, it's hard to face anybody," he said. "It was hard to wrap my arms around this, and it still is. I haven't been a part of society for more than six weeks. You are scared to be around anybody, you are embarrassed to be around anybody because of what happened."
- Scooby Axson
