‘Where am I?’: Dog walker who discovered Michail Antonio reveals his first words after crash
Michail Antonio asked “Where am I? What’s going on? What car am I in?” in the moments before he was rescued by emergency services after crashing his £260,000 Ferrari, an eyewitness said.
The West Ham United striker is recovering from surgery on a leg broken in the accident on Saturday afternoon in Epping, Essex.
Samuel Woods, who saw Antonio’s wrecked Ferrari as he drove home after walking his dog in Epping Forest, described how the player was left “disorientated”. The passer-by told The Sun how he was one of the first witnesses to speak to the injured footballer.
“I said to him “hello” to see if anyone was alive,” Woods said. “I heard sirens and told him that help was on its way. He was so disorientated. He said, “Where am I? What’s going on? What car am I in? The paramedics got there really fast. I couldn’t believe what happened. The car smelt of petrol.”
Antonio had to be cut free from the Ferrari FF which hit a tree. The 34-year-old was taken to a hospital in central London where he will remain for the foreseeable future while his recovery is monitored.
‘Everyone at the club wishes Michail a speedy recovery’
The club said in a statement: “West Ham United can confirm Michail Antonio has undergone surgery on a lower limb fracture following a road traffic accident on Saturday afternoon.
“Everyone at the club wishes Michail a speedy recovery and wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the football family at large for the overwhelming support shown since yesterday’s news, as well as extending a heartfelt thank you to the emergency services and first responders who attended to Michail in the immediate aftermath of the incident, and the medical team who continue to aid him in his recovery.”
The club said on Saturday that Antonio was “conscious and communicating” after the crash. Essex Fire Service also confirmed firefighters had attended the scene and released a man trapped in his car. The update was issued after images of a heavily damaged Ferrari began to circulate online.
A statement read: “Crews were called to High Road, Epping, at 1.02pm this afternoon after reports of a road traffic collision involving one car.
“Firefighters reported that a man was trapped in his car and worked to release him by 1.45pm. The casualty was left in the care of the Ambulance Service.”
The incident came as West Ham were stepping up preparations for their match against Wolves at the London Stadium on Monday night. Antonio trained with the West Ham first team on Saturday.
Antonio has played for West Ham since 2015, making more than 300 appearances for the club. He is their all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League.
Premier League clubs Chelsea, Bournemouth, Fulham, Arsenal, Liverpool and Leicester City were among the teams who quickly sent their support and best wishes to Antonio on social media.
Antonio was previously involved in a car collision on Christmas Day in December 2019, when he crashed into a garden in Balham, south-west London. On that occasion he was unhurt.
