Roach hurt in LA road accident

Except for a sore back, a broken tooth and damages to his 2008 Lincoln SUV, Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, was just fine after figuring in a road accident in Los Angeles Sunday morning (Manila time).

Roach was driving back to LA after watching the Joel Casamayor-Michael Katsidis bout in Cabazon, California when his vehicle was hit on the side and on the back by two separate vehicles on the freeway.

“I was driving on the freeway and a sports car crossing into the freeway on the on-ramp lost control and crossed three lanes. My car spun around thrice and I stopped in the middle,” Roach told GMANews.

“But I’m okay. I can walk,” he said.

Roach said the incident took place at around 11 p.m. Saturday evening (LA time) as he came from the fight.

His close friend, Billy Keane, who manages Gerry Peñalosa, had gone back home in his own car.

Roach’s vehicle, a white one, was sideswiped by the incoming sports car, and was eventually hit again from behind by another car carrying a woman and a baby.

Roach said the driver of the sports car admitted that he “lost control of his car,” causing the accident and serious injuries to the woman and the baby.

“The police officer I talked to said the woman lost an eye and the baby she was with was badly hurt,” said Roach in the TV interview.

“Luckily, I walked away,” said Roach, who had a picture of him and his damaged SUV, its rear bumper almost flying off, posted on the Internet yesterday.

“It feels a little bit stiff after hurting my back. It was only whenever I bent over that I realized that my lower back was really sore,” Roach was quoted as saying.

“I didn’t know I cracked my tooth in half until I got home. But I already visited the dentist and the dentist said I must have been hit really hard,” added Roach, who’s been seeing a therapist for his sore back.

Roach is steady whenever he’s manning the wheel, and would drive his own vehicle from LA to Las Vegas, a journey of 300 miles and four hours, for Pacquiao fights.