Nuggets’ Smith 'devastated' by friend's death
Guard gets out of hospital, was driving SUV when it crashed into Jaguar
 Adrian Wyld / AP The Nuggets' J.R. Smith was a star player at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey. |
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NEPTUNE, N.J. - Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith was released from the hospital after a weekend crash claimed the life of a friend.
Smith was “devastated by the loss of his good friend,” the Nuggets said Tuesday. The team asked for privacy for Smith and his family.
Andre Bell, 21, of East Orange died Monday at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he and Smith were taken after the crash Saturday in Millstone. Bell suffered severe head injuries and had been in a coma.
The 21-year-old Smith had injuries to his left shoulder and numerous scratches.
A third person in Smith’s sport utility vehicle and the driver of the other car had only minor injuries.
The investigation into the crash is continuing, but Smith was cited for failure to stop at stop sign and improper passing.
Investigators said Smith was driving and Bell was a passenger when Smith’s SUV collided with a Jaguar and overturned. Neither man was wearing a seat belt, and both were ejected, investigators said.
Smith’s driver’s license had been suspended five times in less than a year but was “in good standing” at the time of Saturday’s crash, according to New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission spokesman Kevin Cranston. He said Smith had paid all restoration fees and fines.
Smith’s driving record was reported Tuesday in The Star Ledger of Newark. Smith amassed 27 points against his license from April 22, 2005, to Jan 10, 2006, with eight violations on seven dates. Five of the citations were for speeding.
His most recent license suspension came on Feb. 7, 2006, Cranston said.
Smith, a star at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, was the 18th overall pick of New Orleans in the 2004 NBA draft. He averaged 13 points in 63 games for Denver this season.
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