By Chris Wright
Terek Grozny midfielder Jonathan Legear has admitted that he was ‘only slightly’ over the drink-drive limit after missing the brake pedal in his Porsche and ploughing into the Esso petrol station at 5:30am in Tongeren, back home in his native Belgium.
Legear was spending the weekend in Flanders after being told that he was surplus to requirements for Grozny’s weekend Russian Premier League fixture, and had spent Saturday night out with friends.
Upon pulling in for petrol, the 25-year old former Belgian international accidentally pressed the accelerator rather than the brake in his Porsche and went hurtling through the petrol station window/door, completely decimating the Red Bull display stand among other things.
Thankfully only one man, a 21-year-old from Tongeren – presumably the chap in the CCTV footage – suffered minor injuries.
An Esso spokesperson said: “The pump automisation has been destroyed. We estimate the amount of damage between €250,000 and €300,000 euros. [Legear] said he would repay all the damage. Apparently he was returning from a night out.”
Legear has apologised, releasing the following statement:
“I am thinking particularly of those present at the time of the accident and those who could be affected at any level. I have already asked by advisors to contact them.
“I accept the consequences of the accident under the law. Contrary to the judgment already made by some media, I was not in a state of deep intoxication and my blood alcohol level was only slightly above the legal limit.”
Police have since seized Legear’s licence and handed him a two-week driving ban pending a judicial investigation into the crash.
The sad thing is that this isn’t the first time Legear’s been responsible for this kind of vehicular dickheadery. In 2009, he was sentenced to 50 hours community service after crashing his BMW into a house while returning from a night out.
(Via Telegraph)