Atwal unhurt in car crash

Golfing ace Arjun Atwal faced charges of being involved in a high-speed street race after he escaped unharmed from a mishap that killed another driver in Orlando...

Golfing ace Arjun Atwal faced charges of being involved in a high-speed street race after he escaped unharmed from a mishap that killed another driver in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday.

Thirty-three-year-old Atwal, the first Indian to play on the US PGA Tour, and John Noah Park, 48 were allegedly involved in the car race when the latter lost control on a curve on a suburban road and his Mercedes slammed into a tree. Park later died in hospital.

Police have stated that neither drugs nor alcohol were involved in the accident and Atwal had not been charged in the case yet.

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Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller was quoted in the media on Sunday as saying, “at a minimum, he is facing a charge of engaging in a street race. We have to see if this crash rises to the level of any other charges.” Miller said that according to eyewitnesses the cars were speeding at about 160 kph but did not collide. The investigation would take two months to be completed, he said.

Atwal’s agent Robert Kreusler said in a statement that the Indian pro did not know Park but expressed his and his family’s condolences to Park’s family.

“We ask the members of the press and the public to not rush to make a judgment about what occured … once all the facts have been gathered and the investigation completed, it will be clear that this was simply a horrible accident and tragedy with none at fault,” Kreusler’s statement read.

Indo-Swedish player Daniel Chopra expressed shock at the news of Atwal’s accident.

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“I hope people won’t think that he caused the accident. He is a good driver. It’s shocking,” he said on the PGA Tour website.