RACING ICON FRANKIE DETTORI HOSPITALIZED AFTER NEWMARKET CAR CRASH

Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Legendary former jockey Frankie Dettori has been rushed to the hospital following a serious car accident in Suffolk – with the accident happening at British horse racing HQ – Newmarket.

According to his management team, H Talent Management, the terrifying incident happened on the evening of Wednesday, July 1, in Newmarket.

Another vehicle reportedly struck the rear passenger side of Dettori’s car, causing it to spin out of control and flip over.

Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene, and the 55-year-old was taken straight to the nearby hospital.

Frankie Dettori Suffers Broken Ribs and Thumb In Newmarket Car Crash

Doctors have confirmed that horse racing legend Dettori sustained a few broken ribs and a broken thumb.

He remains hospitalized under close observation while medical staff run further scans to fully assess his injuries.

In an official statement, his agency shared a message from the racing icon:

“Frankie would like to thank the emergency services who attended the scene, together with the doctors, nurses and wider medical team caring for him. His focus is now on resting and recovering. H Talent Management respectfully asks that Frankie’s privacy is respected at this time. No further comment will be made until there is a meaningful update.”

This frightening setback comes just a few months after Dettori officially hung up his saddle in February, following a high-profile farewell tour through America and Brazil.

His final race in Britain was an unforgettable one-a spectacular victory aboard King Of Steel in the Champion Stakes at Ascot three years ago.

While Frankie had been enjoying his hard-earned retirement, he was already locked in for a highly anticipated comeback this autumn, signing up for the charity Legends race at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting in September.

Given the nature of his injuries, however, those plans are now up in the air as his recovery takes absolute priority. With the race on Friday September 11, 2026.

Frankie Dettori Pulled Out Of Plane Crash in Newmarket in 2000

The recent Frankie Dettori car crash in Newmarket, isn’t the first time the former champion jockey has had a serious accident at British horse racing’s HQ.

On 1 June 2000, Frankie Dettori survived one of the most harrowing incidents in British racing history when a light aircraft carrying him, fellow jockey Ray Cochrane and pilot Patrick Mackey crashed moments after taking off from Newmarket Racecourse.

The trio had been travelling to Goodwood for an afternoon of racing when the Piper Seneca failed to gain sufficient height, struck an embankment known as the Devil’s Dyke and burst into flames.

Patrick Mackey Killed In Tragic Frankie Dettori Plane Crash

Pilot Patrick Mackey was tragically killed in the accident, while Dettori and Cochrane escaped from the wreckage in what police described as a “miracle.”

Dettori suffered a broken right ankle, facial cuts and other injuries that ruled him out of racing for several months, while Cochrane sustained burns and bruising.

In the moments after the crash, Cochrane managed to pull Dettori from the wreckage before bravely attempting to rescue Mackey, but the intense flames made it impossible to reach the pilot. Cochrane’s actions later earned him the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in recognition of his efforts to save his fellow jockey.

The accident had a profound effect on Dettori, who has spoken openly in the years since about believing he was about to die as the aircraft came down.

The experience changed his outlook on both racing and life, with the Italian admitting he became more focused on spending time with his family and appreciating every opportunity he had in the saddle.

Despite the traumatic ordeal, he returned later that season and went on to enjoy many of the greatest successes of his career, including further Classic victories, multiple Royal Ascot triumphs and becoming one of the sport’s most celebrated jockeys.

An investigation by the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch was unable to determine a single definitive cause of the crash, although it concluded the aircraft failed to climb properly after take-off and struck the embankment before crashing.

More than two decades later, the Newmarket plane crash remains one of the defining moments of Dettori’s life and career, serving as a stark reminder of how close horse racing came to losing one of its greatest stars.

- Andy Newton

LEGEND AND HUMANITARIAN AT AGE 55

NASCAR LEADER GREG BIFFLE HAS PASSED AWAY IN A PLANE ACCIDENT

 

NASCAR has lost a leader and a humanitarian.

Greg Biffle has died in a plane crash in North Carolina at the age of 55. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.

RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB PLANE MAKES WILD EMERGENCY LANDING ON ICONIC COURSE

Plane Makes Harrowing Emergency Landing In Front Of Golfers At Riviera Country Club

A few golfers got the surprise of their lives during a round on Friday when a plane made an emergency landing just feet from where they were teeing off ... and video from the scene is terrifying.

It all went down at around 1 PM at the iconic Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles ... when an aircraft reportedly battling engine issues was forced to touch down on one of the course's fairways.

Check out some footage a golfer filmed as it barreled toward the grass ... it skidded across the ground several times before it somehow made a safe stop near a sand trap.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, three people were on board when the incident occurred. Fortunately, there are no reported injuries at this time.

The aircraft was reportedly supposed to make its landing at Santa Monica Airport -- which is roughly six miles from the club -- but it diverted amid the engine's struggles.

It's, of course, not the first time an L.A.-area golf course has had an unexpected plane land on its grounds. In December 2024, one crashed down at the Victoria Golf Course ... but much like Friday's incident -- everyone on board miraculously walked away unscathed.

Harrison Ford also found himself in a similar situation back in 2015 ... as his World War II-era plane smash-landed onto a course in Venice -- which led the then-72-year-old to suffer moderate injuries.

- TMZ Sports 

SIX MEMBERS OF BOSTON SKATING CLUB ARE AMONG THOSE KILLED IN PLANE CRASH

Emergency response units assess airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Jan. 30, 2025. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

NORWOOD, Mass. (AP) — Two young figure skaters, two of their parents and two highly-regarded Russian figure skating coaches were among those killed after an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.

Doug Zeghibe, the chief executive at the Skating Club of Boston, said Thursday that skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, along with coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

“This will have long reaching impacts for our community,” he said during a news conference where he was visibly emotional.

U.S. Figure Skating previously confirmed that several skaters, coaches and family members were on the commercial flight after attending a development camp that followed the national championships, which wrapped up Sunday in Wichita, Kansas.

“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

“Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together.”

The Kremlin also confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were aboard. They were were well-known skaters in their own right after winning the pairs world title in 1994 in Chiba, Japan. They moved to the U.S. and became coaches, first at the International Skating Center in Connecticut and since 2017 at the Skating Club of Boston.

Among their students is their 23-year-old son, Maxim, a former U.S. junior champion. He has finished fourth at senior nationals the past three years, narrowly missing the podium Sunday while his parents watched at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.

There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines flight and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the Blackhawk helicopter. There was no immediate cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.

“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital, said in an update Thursday morning. “We don’t believe there are any survivors.”

The Skating Club of Boston, which is set to host the world championships in March, is among the best-known clubs in the world, producing numerous Olympic and world champions. Among them have been two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, Olympic gold medalist Tenley Albright, two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan and Olympic silver medalist Paul Wylie.

Jimmy Ma, who finished fifth at the U.S. championships on Sunday, is among current athletes from the Skating Club of Boston.

This is the second time a plane crash has rocked the figure skating community.

On Feb. 15, 1961, a Boeing 707 traveling from New York to the world championships in Czechoslovakia crashed on approach in Brussels, Belgium, killing all 72 people aboard. That included all 18 members of the American team heading to worlds, along with 16 family members, coaches and skating officials that were on their way to support them in Prague.

Among those killed in that crash were former U.S. champion-turned coach Maribel Vinson-Owen and her daughters, 16-year-old Laurie Owen and 20-year-old Maribel Owen. Two weeks earlier, Laurie had won her first women’s title and Maribel won her first pairs title at the national championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. They also represented the Skating Club of Boston.

The world championships were canceled that year out of respect for the American team killed in the crash.

The European championships are taking place this week in Tallinn, Estonia. They were expected to continue as scheduled.

“The International Skating Union and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” the ISU said in a statement. “We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”

- DAVE SKRETTA

BREAKING | YOUNG ICE SKATERS' FEARED DEAD AS AT LEAST 19 DIE IN US CRASH

A total of 64 people, four crew and 60 passengers, were onboard the jet with a number of young Russian ice skaters feared to be among the dead

Nineteen bodies have been recovered from the scene of a crash involving a passenger jet and a US Army helicopter in Washington DC.

The collision occurred while the American Airlines flight was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.

All take-offs and landings from the airport near Washington were halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors.

Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.

A total of 64 people, four crew and 60 passengers, were onboard the jet with a number of young Russian ice skaters feared to be among the dead.

Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter which was on a training exercise.

President Donald Trump was briefed, his press secretary said, and Vice President JD Vance encouraged followers on the social media platform X to “say a prayer for everyone involved”.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the mid-air collision occurred around 9pm local time when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, crashed into a military Blackhawk helicopter while on approach to an airport runway.

A helicopter uses its searchlight as it flies above the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

In audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash, a controller is heard asking the helicopter: “PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight,” in reference to the passenger aircraft.

“Tower did you see that?” another pilot is heard calling seconds after the apparent collision.

The tower immediately began diverting other aircraft from Reagan.

In a post on social media, American Airlines said it was aware of reports that one of its flights was involved in the incident and said it would provide more information once available.

Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Centre shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.

The airport said emergency personnel were responding to “an aircraft incident on the airfield”.

The incident recalled the crash of an Air Florida flight that plummeted into the Potomac on January 13 1982, that killed 78 people. That crash was attributed to bad weather.

No other details were immediately available.

- Lolita C Baldor and Eric Tucker, Associated Press