Category: Personal

According to the Mirror, George Michael will not face any charges for falling out of a car onto the M1 near St Albans, Hertfordshire, on May 16, 2013.  He gave traffic police a statement after leaving the hospital last week, and the officers have now closed the case. His driver also gave police a statement along with another passenger.

George Michael also was not fine for failing to have his seatbelt fastened. It is an offense for drivers or passengers not  to wear a seatbelt where one is fitted.

A spokeswoman for the force told MailOnline:  ‘We’re not taking any further action against anybody in the vehicle.’

George Michael has been discharged from the hospital.

The official George Michael site says:

We can confirm that George Michael has been discharged from hospital and continues to rest and recuperate. He is well and thanks everyone for all the messages of support.

The Daily Mail has a new article (May 24), which is reporting a few new points on George Michael’s accident:

As he recuperates in hospital this week, George Michael has, rather untypically, been avoiding the anxious calls of some of his oldest friends.

The singer’s mobile has gone largely unanswered and he has, so far at least, passed up the chance of using Twitter —  to which he was until recently addicted — to reassure his fans he is fine.

The article also says that George Michael still has not been released from the hospital after seven days in the hospital.

Land Rover, the manufacturer of the car George was in, is weighing in on the accident:

Now Land Rover, the maker of the luxury 4×4 involved in the incident, has added to the intrigue by telling me it is highly  unlikely the accident could have taken place the way it was  reported.

Its intervention brings into question the apparent testimony of the driver and another passenger in the Range Rover who reported that the star accidentally fell out as he tried to open and shut a passenger door that had not been closed properly.

The company told me this week that all its modern Range Rovers, like the one George Michael was in, have a sophisticated warning system to tell the driver — and passengers — if any of the car doors are not fully closed.

As well as a warning light on the dashboard, a loud and high-pitched bleeping noise sounds continuously until the door is shut properly.

Having heard one in action myself this week, it is not something that would be possible to ignore for more than a few seconds. In which case, why did George not just secure the door before the car joined the motorway?

Land Rover also points out that current models have sensors that warn if a passenger is not wearing a seat belt. 

Other experts say the vehicle’s door, which is weighed down by heavy side-impact protection, equipment for electric windows and the mechanism for the central locking system, would require some effort to open from the inside at high speed.

It’s understandable then that engineers at the car company might be scratching their heads. A spokeswoman for the singer refused to comment on Land Rover’s explanations.

A few articles are giving possible details on George Michael’s accident last week.

The Mirror (May 24th) has quotes from a “pal” regarding rumors that George Michael may have intentionally thrown himself from the car:

“There is no mystery – he was just trying to shut the door. George has been perfectly happy and is in a great place. To insinuate that he threw himself out of the car is absurd.”

The source added that the star had been happily immersed in his music, explaining: “George has been writing a new album and is really pleased with what he’s done so far.

“It was an accident and he is the first person to put his hand up and say, ‘I’m sorry’. He deserves more sympathy.”

The Sun (May 23rd) has a quote from another eyewitness of George Michael’s accident:

Ben Quince was directly behind when the former Wham! star, 49, tumbled out as his Range Rover shot up the M1 at 70mph.

Ben, 37, said: “I suddenly saw the back door on the driver’s side open.

“A body appeared and went bounce, bounce, bounce. He was spinning as he came towards me.

“I had to swerve left. I could have killed him.

“In my mirror I saw trucks and cars swerving to avoid him.”

The article also stated:

George Michael suffered head injuries and remained in hospital last night. An aide said: “He’s progressing.”

The BBC has a new interview with Katherine Fox, the eyewitness to George Michael’s accident last week.  In the interview, she talks about the crash as well as the fact that she didn’t know it was George Michael because there was “blood everywhere.”

She told the BBC:

“He had a deep cut above his left eyebrow which was really bleeding down his face into his teeth,” she said.

“Even if I had known who it was, I probably wouldn’t have recognised him.

“I spoke to him like he was a normal guy but he was totally shocked, I don’t think he was in any state to talk.”

She added: “You don’t expect to be sitting on the motorway with an A-list celebrity.

“If he was sat next to me in a restaurant I wouldn’t have recognised him, the whole celebrity thing just passes me by,

“I didn’t know it was George Michael until the Friday afternoon – I was so shocked.”