Days after announcing Joseph Parker’s victory against Derek Chisora, a serious motorcycle accident left boxing ring announcer David Diamante with several broken ribs, a bad knee, paralysis, and big challenges ahead. But the popular boxing voice and Baltimore Native Diamante told Sports Illustrated he will make a comeback.
On December 22, 2001, boxing journalist David Diamante was severely injured in a motorcycle accident while riding his Triumph on slippery, icy roads. Here’s what happened as best as he can recall, says Diamante. He also has a slot on Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and has just returned to New York. Ring announcer David Diamante says he was riding his motorbike on Third Avenue underneath the Brooklyn Queens Expressway “at a nice rate.” Diamante “… was speeding” and tried to apply the motorcycle brakes, eventually crashing on Third Avenue in Brooklyn.
The 5o-year-old remembers, “the bike just left me.” Based upon the accident report and images, it appears boxing ring announcer David Diamante skidded about an entire city block, colliding with a parked van.
Diamante reportedly stated: “It’s like if you’re walking and you slip on black ice, and you f—ing land on your ass, you fall so fast, you can’t catch yourself.” David Diamante further stated: “That’s what I remember, the bike just went out from under me,” before boxing ring announcer David Diamante lost control.
Inclement Weather Riding Accidents and Motorcycles
Thousands of road users are injured in weather-related accidents every year. No matter how safely you operate a motorcycle, bad weather significantly increases the risk of being involved in a motorcycle collision. Based upon Federal Highway Administration (FWHA) statistics, approximately 22% of vehicle crashes that take place annually are weather-associated. Proving who was negligent or liable in a weather-related crash remains perplexing, however, which makes having the right legal counsel vital after crashing.
Motorcycle Crash Damages
Ehline Law Firm is one of California’s premier motorcycle injury law firms serving clients throughout California. Our legal representatives maintain well-earned notoriety for being faithful to the end when we represent clients involved in a weather-related motorcycle crash. You, too, may be entitled to substantial compensation. This is because our Los Angeles headquarters law firm gets above-average results.
Below, we will discuss cold-weather accidents happening to former Brooklyn Nets Stadium Announcer David Diamante. Our goal is to give you and your loved ones a better understanding of motorcycle law and provide vital legal assistance.
Kind Stranger In Brooklyn?
Boxing ring announcer David Diamante remembers as he lay helpless in the street, with his broken ribs on fire with pain, that a succession of automobiles sped after Diamante crashed. “People were looking at me.” We went on: “But nobody was stopping,” says Diamante.
Finally, a good samaritan pulled over, left his vehicle, approached the seriously injured rider Diamante, and asked if everything was OK. Diamante begged the good samaritan to dial 9-1-1. The helpful man called emergency services and pulled his car in front of Diamante, shielded Diamante to block traffic and provided a safety barrier with his own car to prevent more serious damage. “Before that,” he said, “it was kind of a miracle that I wasn’t driven over.” (Sports Illustrated.)
Diagnosis and Emergency Surgeries of Ring announcer David Diamante
The doctors at the hospital did a battery of examinations on Diamante. Announcer David Diamante had three cracks in his spine and several cracked ribs. His right knee had shredded flesh torn to the bone. Diamante told Sports Illustrated he needed five hours of surgery. Of the surgery, he said: “My back is basically metal.”
Either nine screws or five steel screws and multiple rods were surgically placed into his spinal cord to treat his serious injuries and multiple fractures. (Need Source.) Additionally, rods and cadaver parts were utilized to assist his spine in healing. When ring announcer David Diamante regained consciousness, physicians informed the boxing ring announcer that a smaller bone penetrating less than two millimeters lodged in his spine, causing paralysis as Diamante was resting in his hospital bed at NYU Langone Health, New York.
Pain and Suffering
After experiencing the serious motorcycle crash, ring announcer David Diamante stated: “There’s also a lot of pain.” Whimpering in searing pain from his broken back and multiple broken ribs, ring announcer David exclaimed: “It’s really hard to do anything when you’re in this much pain.”
Spinal Cord Injury Recovery?
Much to his chagrin: “The spinal surgeon told me he had never seen this type of injury without paralysis.” “I’m lucky, man. I’m really f—ing lucky.”
About The Man
Many know David Diamante as the long-haired man with the loud sports announcer voice and his catchphrase, “The fight starts now!” He experimented with drugs as a fifth-grader. Because of this, he battled teenage drug addiction. He claims he wanted to “self-medicate,’ to help him cope with violence at home and in the tough Washington, D.C.-area he resided.
What About His Crazy Dreads?
The sports announcer decided to stop cutting his hair in 1988. “I don’t wear it this way because I’m a hippie.” “… to me, it’s a spiritual thing. It was a commitment I made to make a change in my life.”
In the 90s, as a youth, he played drums and even became friends with my favorite Metallica guitarist, Kirk Hammett. He even bounced at nightclubs as a bouncer and DJ.
He took the extra earned income and traveled. He worked at Golden Gloves tournaments and Empire State Games, sometimes free of charge just for the chance. At one fight, the accident victim met former HBO executive Lou DiBella who had since become a boxing promoter. He always kept a positive mental attitude.
DiBella asked: Who the f— are you? DiBella took a liking to ring announcer David Diamante because of his positive attitude, dynamic persona, and charisma.
Ultimately, he ring announced for Top Rank, PBC, Golden Boy, and Muay Thai events. The New York Nets hired him in 2011 as their public address announcer. But then, in 2017, Diamante was promoted to lead ring announcer for the World Boxing Super Series. Once Eddie Hearns of Matchroom Boxing heard his booming voice, the announcer began to announce fights for DAZN and Sky Sports.
Assuming our victim had motorcycle insurance since there was no hit-and-run driver, he may have issues recovering from his insurance company for this bad injury claim. Some insurers won’t cover single-vehicle collisions. This means he may have a hard time recovering compensation for lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering. In the case of ring announcer David Diamante, five hours of surgery and the recovery period would be excruciating to endure, even for a fighter type.
The potential drug relapse from his prior addiction could also be a problem. We know that ring announcer David Diamante had given up drugs and even decided to stop cutting his hair. Now painkilling drugs could leave Diamante hooked to kill the terrible pain from enduring such horrific spinal cord injuries and destruction to his ribs and knee mutilation skidding along Third Avenue.
High-profile boxing has been sent a warning that icy conditions are no laughing matter before the fight starts. You can fight in the ring or lay with a prone body, helpless in the streets, facing lengthy rehabilitation, an possibly a drug rehab facility, in critical condition with back injuries.
Motorcycle Riding Experience
Ring announcer David Diamante had a passion for riding motorcycles. He had vast riding experience, riding through traffic rushed foreign countries like Haiti, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, Honduras, Colombia, and even El Salvador. He also rode through Pakistan, India, and across the U.S.
Prior Similar Incidents?
Despite being injured in a prior near-death San Francisco motorcycle crash in 2017, ring announcer David Diamante kept riding. In that case, it was not a similar incident, as an SUV clipped him, breaking his right arm in eight places.
The self-described risk-taker just kept riding, even before he was healed up. “That’s just how much of a psychopath I am.”
Baby Steps?
It is unknown if he will walk again. Diamante asserted: “I’m not walking is the unfortunate truth right now.” “Now I do believe I will walk and I believe I’ll walk quite well, but it’s going to take rehab, and it’s going to take time. There are things like being able to brush my teeth, wash my hands, pick something up, walk up a step, or anything that anyone normally does; I cannot do that now. I’m not even close to doing that now. It’s really hard to do anything when you’re in this much pain, so that has to subside.”
Pain And Suffering in the Motorcycle Accident
Pain from a car accident is terrible. Being on a bike is usually worse. Here it’s no different for the famous boxing announcer.
The optimistic ring announcer, David Diamante, said: “It feels like I’m laying on boulders and rocks and knives and daggers.” He went on to talk about his back injuries, stating: “I can’t get away from it. It’s all up and down my spine, the scar on my back, it goes from my whole top of my neck to all the way to my [back area]. It feels like I can’t find a comfortable position. Everything hurts, man. Everything hurts.”
But the fallen ring announcer David Diamante vows he will bounce back. He feels lucky after he leaves the hospital and starts physical therapy. “I’m more on the inside than anyone ever knows.” He boldly told his interviewer, “That’s my mentality. I am a Wolverine. It’s who I am. It’s why I’ve been able to live my life the way I do. The hardest thing for me right now is to go slow.” “… I’m going to get through it. I will be back ringside again.” This guy reminds me of so many Marines I served with. Maybe it’s just the alpha male warrior attitude, but our team and big stars like Eddie Hearn are rooting for Diamante!
More About Bad Weather
The weather can be extremely unpredictable during the winter months in Northern and Southern California. Many vehicle accidents and road conditions occur as a result of inclement weather.
Weather conditions can cause a variety of problems for drivers, including poor visibility. Rainfall, sleet, and snow can reduce visibility by up to 90%, making it difficult for drivers to see other automobiles. Sometimes obstructions may appear suddenly before drivers have time to react, resulting in a collision.
Cold Rainstorms: Rainstorms can make highways hazardous and too slippery to ride over when the temperature drops safely. The more icy the road, the less sticky the tires. This thin layer of snow over roads may appear straightforward at higher elevations or on well-lit city streets. Ice can be hidden underneath a fresh layer of snow, making roads very slippery and troublesome to navigate.
Black Ice: Another road hazard is freezing rain which manifests itself after rain freezes upon contact with cold asphalt streets, including concrete sidewalks and surfaces like windshields and marble entryways at buildings. Frozen road water increases the risk of motorcycling accidents.
Safe Riding Tips in Bad Weather
Diamante could have taken a number of steps to prepare himself for bad weather the last time riding. As a trained rider, he would have ensured his tires were full and warmed up before riding. He’d conducted a safety check by inspecting the operability of his Triumph’s brakes, brake lights, and fluid levels. If everything was in good condition, he still had a duty to operate his steel horse cautiously.
It remained crucial for Diamante to allow more time to accelerate (avoid fishtailing), stop, navigate safe turns, and be capable of dropping the bike and surviving skids safely. He admits to driving too fast, a major cause of motorcycle rider deaths. So he blew that one.
Last, motorcyclists should remove any snow or excess water from their bikes. In addition, motorcycle riders should look out for snow and ice flying off moving trucks, city bus roofs, and passenger cars. Gobs of snow flung into a biker’s path are known killers, endangering riders.
Weather-Related Accident Attorneys
This will be a tough road of recovery for Diamante and the boxing world. But a proven fighter always makes a comeback, even with small steps. We know this because our motorcycle lawyers are also proven fighters with vast knowledge and experience fighting on behalf of motorcycle accident victims.
In the case at the bar, the victim ring announcer admitted speeding and fault. But sometimes, the government is at fault for allowing dangerous debris or snow build up or for another vehicle to lose control, killing a cyclist. Ehline Law Firm is highly experienced in handling cold-weather motorcycle injury claims. We vigorously assist victims of accidents arising from weather-related conditions and third-party negligence. If you suffered a California motorcycle accident, call us right away.
In the meantime, the famed announcer says: “I want to tell everyone I appreciate so, so much the thoughts and the tweets and the messages; they help me so much, man…” as his voice begins to quiver. Over the shock and excitement of being alive! It’s a bad injury, and getting better will take some time. After all, he underwent five hours of surgery. Injury without paralysis in a case like this is rare, according to physicians. The “fights starts now,” says the star, who is ready to get on the long road to learn to walk again.
Schedule a Free Case Review to Discuss Your Situation Today
Our superior legal team has the prerequisite knowledge, skill, and resources to thoroughly investigate your claim and determine the other driver’s degree of liability and fault. Our world-famous Los Angeles bad weather accident lawyers, will look to see if bad weather was a contributing factor. We have a proven reputation for helping our clients with significant damage obtain the full financial compensation they deserve with proven, multi-million dollar results.
If you or a loved one suffered a weather-related motorcycle accident, call our Los Angeles offices or complete the contact form on our website to receive a free consultation. We have met big challenges and are ready to obtain superior results for the major damage suffered by you and your close family members. (213) 596-9642.
Citations:
- Matt Hughes Train Accident Case
- Famous Celebrity Motorcycle Accidents