England rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson has miraculously survived a high-speed crash as he made his way home from victory celebrations in London. The 24-year-old was driving home along the A1 when his chauffeur lost control of their Lexus and ploughed into a tree at 70 mph.
Incredibly, neither he nor his driver were injured in the smash. Jonny managed to climb free from the wreck and was picked up an hour later by his father. The accident came immediately after the athlete was congratulated by the Queen for scoring England's winning drop goal in the Rugby World Cup final. He and his team-mates had enjoyed the rapturous applause of 750,000 Londoners as they made their way through the city in an open-top bus.
"We can confirm that there was an accident involving a Lexus at around one am on the A1 by Leeming Bar," said a police spokesman. "There were no injuries so we cannot make any further comment."
Ironically, it was his commitment to sporting excellence that nearly cost the fly-half his life. While the rest of the England squad stayed on in London for further celebrations, Jonny decided to return home because he didn't want to miss Tuesday's training session with his club, Newcastle Falcons. His girlfriend, Diana Stewart, also stayed behind in the capital to attend Lawrence Dallaglio's testimonial dinner.
Jonny, who didn't mention the crash during the following day's training, is due back in London today to receive an MBE.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
