Cause of coach Honolulu police have listed the cause of University of Hawaii football coach June Jones' car crash as "unknown," but say they have ruled out all possible causes except Jones himself.
Jones’ car wreck
unsolved
Police say outside factors
have been ruled out in the
UH coach's accidentBy Rod Antone
Star-BulletinMore than three months after the Feb. 22 crash, police said yesterday that the accident report is almost complete and is being typed up.
Jones, 48, was heading town-bound on the H-1 freeway when the 1999 Lincoln Town Car he was driving went off the right shoulder past the Hickam offramp.
The car then went toward the freeway and struck a pillar in the median. No other cars were involved, and Jones was the only person in his car, police said.
The accident left Jones in critical condition, suffering internal bleeding, a bruised liver and head injuries.
To this day, Jones says he does not remember what happened.
"I don't recall anything before or after" the wreck, Jones told the Star-Bulletin yesterday.
Jones said the car he was driving is leased by Jackson Auto Group and is provided to him as part of his contract with the university.
Police said they eliminated several possible causes, including environmental, mechanical and criminal factors.
They found nothing on the road, nothing wrong with the car and no indication that there was an outside force, such as someone ramming Jones' car.
After eliminating outside factors, police said the cause could be related only to the driver.
Still, police said alcohol was not a factor in the crash, and they do not believe drugs or other controlled substances were involved.
Because of privacy laws, however, police could not determine whether Jones has or had a medical condition that may have played a part in the crash.
But Jones said yesterday that he has no medical condition that would have contributed to the crash.
Police said it did not appear that Jones was wearing a seat belt, but he will not be cited because seat belt citations are usually given only if an officer observes the violation.
Police said that while this was a high-profile case, the investigation was routine, and it is not unusual for the cause of an accident to be listed as unknown.
Police also said the case did not take any longer to investigate than any other case involving similar circumstances -- a single-vehicle accident with no one other than the driver injured and no other property damage.
Jones still goes to rehabilitation sessions in the mornings for injuries he sustained in the crash.
UH has leased another car for Jones.
Ka Leo O Hawaii
University of Hawaii