Christopher "Play" Martin Involved in Accident

Christopher Martin of rap group "Kid N Play" fame was injured in a car accident this past Saturday, but has since been released from the hospital. According to The News and Observer, the accident occurred following a police shooting in Durham, North Carolina. Martin was driving his Sport Utility Vehicle, with Michelle Gonzales as his passenger. Police were chasing a car driven by robbery suspect Raul Riva Aldamo. After officers fired shots at Aldamo's car, it continued to head down the street, eventually slamming into Christopher Martin's SUV. Martin and his passenger were both hospitalized after the accident Saturday and have both been released as of Wednesday.

Christopher Martin is also known as "Play" of the popular rap group Kid 'n Play which had several albums in late 1980 through the early 90's. The duo were also stars in the hit "House Party" movies among others. There's been several other accidents involving celebrities within the past year or so, where the celebrities were the responsible parties in the accident rather than the victims.

Actor Orlando Bloom was part of an accident back in October 2007, although it didn't involve a police chase. TMZ.com reported that Bloom was driving a Matrix when he was cut off by another driver, causing Bloom to slam into a parked Porsche. The Matrix he was driving belonged to the director of photography for the "Pirates of the Carribean" films. According to police reports at the time of the incident, speed, alcohol or drugs were not considered factors in Bloom's crash.

There was also the car accident involving Nick Hogan, son of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea). Nick's accident occurred in Florida this past August of 2007. CNN.com reported that Nick Bollea (also known as Nick Hogan), was driving his Toyota Supra at high speeds when the car "inexplicably left the roadway". The accident left Nick's car destroyed and the highway closed for 4 hours as the wreck was cleared up. According to E! Online, Nick's passenger, 22 year old John Graziano was left in serious condition in a coma, and suffered brain damage caused by swelling of his brain. Nick had turned himself in to police on charges of wreckless driving involving serious bodily injury. There were also charges related to Nick being intoxicated despite being under 21 years of age.

A third celebrity car crash which made headlines was that of R&B singer Brandy back in December of 2006. Brandy was responsible for a multi-car crash that killed one woman and had Brandy facing potential criminal charges. Recently, according to a MTV.com report, the Los Angeles attorney has decided not to file criminal charges, but Brandy will still face a wrongful death lawsuit for $50 million from the victim's family.

Resources & Sources cited:

Associated Press, "Member of Kid 'n Play injured in wreck following police shooting" , newsobserver.com

MTV News Staff, "Brandy Won't Be Charged In 2006 Car Crash;", MTV.com

CNN, "Hulk Hogan's son seriously injured in car wreck", CNN.COM

Gina Serpe, "Nick Hogan Arrested for Critical Crash", E! Online

TMZ, "Orlando Boom! Actor Involved in Car Crash",TMZ.com