Report: Ezekiel Elliott Being Sued for $1 Million After 2017 Car Crash
A man injured in a 2017 car crash is reportedly suing Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for over $1 million in damages, according to Dallas-Fort Worth's NBC 5.
Ronnie Barnard Hill filed the lawsuit on Thursday, reports NBC 5. Hill's BMW was totaled in the accident, which left him with "serious, life-altering injuries."
Elliott "accidentally ran a red light" on Jan. 11, 2017, and hit Hill's automobile on the passenger's side. Multiple air bags went off in Elliott's vehicle but none deployed in Hill's. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.
The crash was initially described as a fender bender. However, the damages to Hill's car totaled over $33,000 and were written off as a total loss, according to NBC 5.
Texas is not a "direct action" state, so drivers cannot sue another person's insurance company. They must sue the driver directly.
Elliott's attorney, Frank Salzano, released a statement saying that Hill had to sue Elliott in order to "trigger the insurance coverage."
"That is exactly what occurred here," the statement said. "We expect Mr. Elliott's insurance provider to step in accordingly and handle the matter appropriately."
"Zeke Elliott, to his credit, admitted at the scene that he ran the red light," Quentin Brogdon, Hill's attorney, told NBC 5. "Zeke Elliott, as far as we know, has not impeded in any way the agreed resolution or settlement of these legal claims.
"Almost two years have now passed and there’s been more than enough time and more than enough information provided for this claim to get resolved."
NBC 5 obtained a copy of the lawsuit, which states that Hill is a fan of Elliott and the Cowboys and filed the lawsuit "only very reluctantly."
