Professional golfer Bill Haas escaped serious injuries as a passenger in a Ferrari involved in a rollover crash in Los Angeles that killed his driver, officials said on Wednesday.
The driver of a BMW involved in the collision was injured and actor Luke Wilson, driving a third vehicle clipped by the Ferrari, was not hurt.
The accident happened on a residential block in the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood at about 6:30pm on Tuesday, Los Angeles police officer James Stoughton said.
Photo: AP
The Ferrari’s driver, who died at the scene, was identified by coroner’s officials as Mark William Gibello, 71, a resident of Pacific Palisades.
Haas was staying with Gibello’s family as he prepared to play this week at the Genesis Open at the nearby Riviera Country Club, the golfer’s manager, Allen Hobbs, said.
“While Bill escaped serious injuries and has been released from the hospital, he is understandably shaken up and — more importantly — his deepest condolences go out to the host family during this tragic and difficult time,” Hobbs said in a statement.
The 35-year-old Haas is withdrawing from the Genesis Open to return home to South Carolina to recuperate, he said.
Jay Haas, the golfer’s father, told the Golf Channel that his son has pain and swelling in one of his legs.
“Bill was very fortunate,” Jay Haas said.
Bill Harmon, the swing coach for Bill Haas and a close friend of Gibello, said the two only met on Thursday last week.
Harmon said Gibello was a member of Los Angeles Country Club and was instrumental in the private club getting the Walker Cup last year and the US Open in 2023.
Bill Haas played at the club on Sunday.
“Mark was one of my best friends,” Harmon said. “It’s a great loss for me. I’m happy that Bill is fine. It’s just a very, very sad story.”
He said he was more concerned for Bill Haas emotionally than physically.
“Even at the hospital, a friend of mine met him and said he was very distraught,” Harmon said.
Police were investigating whether speed was a factor in the crash.
“It was a huge bang sound, just one huge crash,” Linda Smith, who lives across the street, told KABC-TV. “There was no screeching that I heard of, or anything of that sort. It all happened very quickly.”
The driver of the BMW, a 50-year-old woman, was hospitalized in serious condition, Stoughton said.
Bill Haas is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour whose most prominent victory was at the Tour Championship in 2011, which enabled him to win the FedEx Cup and the US$10 million bonus.
His most famous shot was in a playoff at the Tour Championship, when his ball was partially submerged in a lake.
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