New York Yankees’ outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was driving on the Dale Mabry Highway around 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon about three miles from George M. Steinbrenner Field in Fla. when his Land Rover was struck by another vehicle, resulting in a three-car wreck in which his SUV was totaled, according to The New York Yankees.
Even though his vehicle was wrecked and his air bags deployed, Suzuki walked away from the accident uninjured.
"The car was turning left and turned into me," Ichiro said through his interpreter, Allen Turner.
"I slammed on the brakes and couldn't do anything about it, but I had the green light."
Fortunately, no-one including Suzuki was injured in the accident. Tampa police cited the driver that hit Suzuki with failure to yield.
Although Suzuki reports feeling absolutely no soreness as a result of the accident and worked out with the team today, Yankees’ management still wants him to get checked out by doctors.
"I'm under the assumption that he'll be able to play Tuesday," manager Joe Girardi said. "
We spoke to him last night and he was told to let us know if he had to go to the hospital or was feeling any pain. He never called."
Suzuki said that although this was his first accident while behind the wheel, it’s not the first time he’s been hit by another car.
"When I was in high school, I was on a bicycle and I got hit by a car," Ichiro said.
"Ever since then, I've been really aware and really careful, to the point where I look everywhere.
Ichiro Suzuki, originally a player in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 to play in the MLB for the Seattle Mariners, with whom he spent 12 seasons. At his request, he was traded to the Yankees during the 2012 mid-season.
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