Nick Adenhart Killed in Car Crash

[DenverBronkHoes]

Nick Adenhart, a rookie pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, died in a car crash early Thursday morning, just hours after pitching in a game in Anaheim.

A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN.com that Adenhart had been killed in a car accident.

Wednesday night, Adenhart had pitched six scoreless innings, giving up seven hits, striking out five and walking three in just his fourth major league start.

According to multiple reports out of the Los Angeles area, three people were killed in the three-car crash in Fullerton, Calif. One person was reported to be seriously injured.

According to the Los Angeles Times, witnesses told police that the driver of a red minivan blew through a red light and hit a Mitsubishi carrying four people.

The Times reported that the minivan's driver ran from the scene, but was arrested about a mile away.

[DenverBronkHoes]

sadness

[BroncoNut]

It's amazing to me how so many people lose their lives on the road.

[Thnikkaman]

Stories like this make me glad I live in Iowa.

[DenverBronkHoes]

will somebody end up being drunk after all this is sorted out?

most likely

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Terrible story - most likely alcohol or something. Prayers for strength and courage for his family.

[KCL]

Hoes...I already posted this....but yes this is sad...too young to die.I am glad they caught the person who caused this.

[DenverBronkHoes]

Hoes...I already posted this....but yes this is sad...too young to die.I am glad they caught the person who caused this.

sorry dear... i looked for it... where did u post it?

[KCL]

sorry dear... i looked for it... where did u post it?

It was in this forum but no problem...I just deleted it.
Actually I think you may have posted yours first.

Stories like this suck...this guy had his whole career ahead of him...not to mention his whole life.

RIP Young Man!

[DenverBronkHoes]

It was in this forum but no problem...I just deleted it.

sorry babe..... i thought i looked

[BroncoBJ]

Sad sad news :(
I just watched him pitch last night. Its crazy how 1 day hes here and 1 day hes not.
Too many people die at a young age.
RIP

[Thnikkaman]

I guess some people here in Cedar Rapids are taking this a little hard since he spent two years here pitching for the Kernels (an Angels farm team).

[Broncolingus]

Read about it this morning...very sad.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Updated article
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=amYvWg5croYY&refer=home

April 9 (Bloomberg) -- Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart died this morning of injuries sustained when his car was struck by a vehicle that ran a red light hours after his fourth Major League Baseball start. He was 22.

Adenhart was transported to the University of California- Irvine Medical Center shortly after midnight Los Angeles time and died after surgery, hospital spokesman John Murray said in a telephone interview.

The Angels postponed tonight’s home game against the Oakland Athletics, at the direction of baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.

“The Angels family has suffered a tremendous loss today,” General Manager Tony Reagins said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened and shocked by this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nick’s family, friends, loved ones and fans.”

Two others riding with Adenhart, including the female driver, also were killed when the operator of a van ran a red light and broadsided their car in Fullerton, California, police said. Their identities weren’t immediately available.

Both died before police and fire department personnel arrived, authorities said.

Suspended License

The van’s driver, 22-year-old Andrew Gallo of Riverside, California, fled the scene on foot and was arrested a half-hour later by Anaheim Police, Fullerton Police said in a press release. His license had been suspended prior to the accident for a previous drunken driving conviction.

Gallo is being treated for injuries sustained in the accident.

The accident occurred hours after Adenhart, a rookie, pitched six shutout innings last night against the Athletics.

Adenhart was listed as the Angels’ No. 3 starting pitcher, with John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar all on the disabled list. He earned a spot in the rotation after going 3-0 with a 3.12 earned run average during spring training.

A 14th-round pick in the 2004 draft, Adenhart was regarded as one of the top prospects for the Angels, who have won four of the past five American League Western Division titles. The Silver Spring, Maryland, native went 36-28 in the minor leagues.

“He lived his dream and was blessed to be part of an organization comprised of such warm, caring and compassionate people,” the pitcher’s parents, Jim and Janet Adenhart, said in a statement. “The Angels were his extended family. Thanks to all of Nick’s loyal supporters and fans throughout his career. He will always be in everyone’s hearts forever.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

[Denver Native (Carol)]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/angels_blog/2009/04/angels-first-cope-emotionally-then-try-to-adjust.html

The first thing the Angels have to do now will be the most difficult. They have to cope emotionally. They have to find some way to deal with the overwhelming pain and, yes, anger of losing a young, promising, well-liked member of the team in such a tragic accident.

To have a 22-year-old player like Nick Adenhart get killed in a traffic accident is one thing. But to have it caused by an apparent drunk driver with a DUI history makes it even more difficult to accept.

Now the Angels have to try. Having Major League Baseball do the right thing and postpone tonight's game with the Oakland A's will help. It will provide a chance to grieve in private. It will give both team management and Adenhart's teammates time to deal with the feelings and emotions that have come screaming at them like an errant line drive into the stands.

Even those us on the fringes are having difficulty dealing with this. You stare at the box score in the morning newspaper, and there is Adenhart's name, showing that he pitched six shutout innings. The last six innings he will ever pitch.

It all seems so incomprehensible. One moment he is out there, this bright, young star drawing cheers and applause from thousands in the stands. And the next moment he is gone.

Can it really happen that fast? Can life really be that fragile?

The vagaries of fate are just as mystifying. Adenhart was pitching in a major league rotation only because the Angels' three other regular starters, John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar, are injured. Had they been healthy, Adenhart more than likely would have been in Salt Lake City, with the club's Triple-A affiliate.

Onemore Unfortunately, in the midst of all this grief, the Angels must also try to address the immediate future. GM Tony Reagins and Manager Mike Scioscia have to get past the numbing realization that this has happened and begin piecing together some kind of pitching blueprint for the next few weeks.

It won't be easy. The depth chart Scioscia talks about so much already had been stretched to the limit. That's why Dustin Moseley and Shane Loux had been penciled in for early-season starts, along with Adenhart.

Now another starter must be found and plugged in until one, or more, of the injured regulars returns. At the moment, there is no one currently in the minor leagues who appears even close to ready for such an assignment.

What does that mean? Maybe a trade. Perhaps an offer to a still unsigned free agent such as Paul Byrd or Pedro Martinez. These are things that will be discussed in the Angels offices, probably as soon as this afternoon.

If it seems like a serious problem, it really isn't when you put it in the context of the day's tragic events. You can always find another pitcher.

But you can't ever replace a young, vibrant 22-year-old's life.

[getlynched47]

That's horrible.

[KCL]

Terrible story - most likely alcohol or something. Prayers for strength and courage for his family.

It was plus the driver had a suspended license for drunk driving...friggin moron.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/sports-mlb/20090409/Angels-Pitcher.Killed/

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others were killed by a suspected drunk driver Thursday, a shocking end to the life of a rookie who had overcome major elbow surgery to realize his big league dreams.

The accident in neighboring Fullerton occurred hours after the 22-year-old pitcher made his season debut with his father in the stands, throwing six scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics. The Angels ultimately lost the game, 6-4.

The team postponed Thursday night's game with Oakland, the final one of their season-opening series. Players planned to gather to remember their teammate, manager Mike Scioscia said.

``It is a tragedy that will never be forgotten,'' he said at an Angel Stadium news conference.

Adenhart was a passenger in a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse that was broadsided in an intersection about 12:30 a.m. by a minivan that apparently ran a red light, police said.

The impact spun around both vehicles, and one then struck another car but that driver was not hurt, police said.

The minivan driver fled the crash on foot and was captured about 30 minutes later. Police identified him as Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of Riverside, and said he had a suspended license because of a previous drunken driving conviction.

Preliminary results indicated Gallo's blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit of .08 percent, police Lt. Kevin Hamilton said.

He said Gallo would be booked on charges of hit-and-run and driving under the influence, both felonies, along with vehicular manslaughter and possibly murder. A spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office said charges against Gallo likely wouldn't be filed Thursday because police were still investigating.

Adenhart died in surgery at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. Henry Nigel Pearson of Manhattan Beach, a 25-year-old passenger in the car, and the driver, 20-year-old Courtney Frances Stewart of Diamond Bar, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Stewart was a student at nearby Cal State Fullerton, where she was a cheerleader in 2007-08.

Another passenger, 24-year-old Jon Wilhite of Manhattan Beach, was in critical condition at UC Irvine Medical Center, although he was expected to survive, a hospital spokesman said. Wilhite played baseball from 2004-08 at Cal State Fullerton.

Stewart's mother said her daughter and Adenhart had known each other since last season but were not dating as far as she knew, Hamilton said.

The mother said Adenhart and the others had gone dancing at a club about a block away from the crash site, although the crash scene appeared to indicate the car was heading in the direction of the club, Hamilton said.

At the ballpark Wednesday night, Adenhart did his job. He scattered seven hits over six scoreless innings and escaped twice after loading the bases in just his fourth major league start.

``I battled early and it felt good to get out of some jams,'' he said.

Adenhart left with a 4-0 lead before the bullpen gave away what would have been his second major league victory.

``He lived his dream and was blessed to be part of an organization comprised of such warm, caring, and compassionate people,'' his family said in a statement issued through the team.

``The Angels were his extended family. Thanks to all of Nick's loyal supporters and fans throughout his career. He will always be in everyone's hearts forever.''

Adenhart had made a slow climb to reach the majors.

He hurt his pitching elbow two weeks before the June 2004 major league draft, when he was projected as a top-five pick out of Williamsport High in Maryland.

But the setback dropped him to the 14th round, where the Angels selected him. He underwent Tommy John surgery - a reconstructive operation on an elbow ligament - later that month and spent most of next four seasons in the minors.

Adenhart struggled with a 9.00 ERA in three starts for the Angels last season, but Scioscia said last month the right-hander had worked hard over the winter and arrived at spring training with a purpose.

He was made the No. 3 starter as the season began this week because of injuries to John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar, all of whom are on the disabled list.

Adenhart's father had flown out from Baltimore to attend the game.

``He told his dad that he'd better come here, that something special was going to happen,'' said Scott Boras, Adenhart's agent, who wept at a stadium news conference.

After the game, ``he was so elated ... he felt like a major leaguer,'' Boras said.

The agent said he spoke with Adenhart and his father, Jim, a retired Secret Service agent, in the clubhouse lobby until about 11:30 p.m. The pitcher and his father were staying at a nearby hotel.

On Thursday afternoon, Jim Adenhart walked out onto the field in the empty stadium and spent several moments alone on the pitcher's mound. Wearing a red sweatshirt, the Angels' color, he briefly covered his eyes with one hand.

Adenhart's mother, Janet, was flying to Anaheim. His parents were divorced.

``To, I think, focus on his loss is not what we need to do here today, we need to focus on who Nick was and his achievement,'' Boras said. ``His parents really want to communicate to everyone that it's a very difficult moment, but it's also a very special moment because Nick was most accomplished and his life's goal was to be a major league baseball player and he certainly achieved that standard.''

The tragedy adds another chapter to the Angels' string of misfortune over the years.

Just this week, a 27-year-old fan died after being assaulted at Angel Stadium on opening day.

Infielder Chico Ruiz and rookie pitcher Bruce Heinbechner were killed in car accidents in the early 1970s, as was shortstop Mike Miley in 1977. The following year, star outfielder Lyman Bostock was shot and killed during the offseason in Gary, Ind.

In 1989, reliever Donnie Moore shot his wife and then killed himself three years after giving up a big home run that kept the Angels from winning the American League pennant.

A small but steady stream of somber fans came to the stadium Thursday to add flowers to a makeshift memorial on the pitcher's mound on the brick ``infield'' outside the stadium entrance.

A poster among the bouquets read, ``No. 34, You are one more Angel in heaven.'' Scribbled on a baseball was, ``Now you play for another Angels team.''

[DenverBronkHoes]

i heard today that this guy Gallo was a multiple DUI offender... He even agreed in his last trial with the Judge that if he killed somebody drunk driving the judge would charge him with murder.........

this guy will never see freedom again

[Denver Native (Carol)]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4065917

FULLERTON, Calif. -- A judge has increased bail to $2 million for the 22-year-old man charged with three counts of murder, felony drunken driving and other counts in the traffic collision death of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two other people.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Roger B. Robbins continued Andrew Gallo's arraignment until June 8 at Monday's hearing. He did not enter a plea.

Police say the San Gabriel resident had nearly triple the legal blood-alcohol level when he ran a red light in his minivan Thursday and hit the car carrying Adenhart.

Also killed were the car's 20-year-old driver, Courtney Stewart of Diamond Bar, and 25-year-old passenger Henry Pearson of Manhattan Beach.

Officials say Gallo could get nearly 55 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges.