Voracek walks away from car crash

THE IMAGES make a Flyers fan's heart stop: a flashy sports car belonging to the team's star player, mangled on the side of a road.

This time, thankfully, there will be no tears.

Flyers leading scorer Jake Voracek was involved in a serious car accident in his native Czech Republic yesterday morning, but walked away from the wreck without any injuries.

"I spoke with Jake this morning," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement. "He was involved in a car accident in the Czech Republic. Although his car did suffer damage, there were no injuries. Jake is fine."

Voracek, 23, was back in the Czech Republic after helping his country's team to a 3-3-1 record in the World Championships last week before a quarterfinal loss to Switzerland.

According to Sport.CZ, the accident occurred at 11:30 a.m. local time yesterday in his hometown of Kladno. The report said alcohol was not a factor and Voracek completed a breathalyzer test at the scene.

A rough translation of the report said Voracek was speeding in his Ferrari California, a $200,000-plus model, and driving too close to another vehicle. To avoid a collision with a turning truck ahead of him, Voracek reportedly collided with a Mercedes, bounced off and ran into a tree before hitting a telephone pole.

The damage to Voracek's car is estimated at nearly $150,000. Voracek admitted fault for the accident and paid fines on the spot, as is custom in the Czech Republic.

Voracek's accident hits way too close to home. Flyers goaltender Pelle Lindbergh was just 26 when he passed away on Nov. 11, 1985 after crashing into a wall in Somerdale, N.J., while under the influence. His $117,300 Porsche was traveling 80 mph at 5:41 am.

Today on PhillyDailyNews.com: A photo gallery of the rest of the crash photo.

Blog: ph.ly/FrequentFlyers