Karl-Anthony Towns get in non-fatal car accident

Minnesota Timberwolves fans that woke up seeing this news have never being more grateful. Star center Karl-Anthony Towns got into a car accident sometime last week. He was placed on the concussion protocol and missed two games over the weekend because of it. I didn’t know exactly how he got in the protocol, but I figured it was minor and he would be back very soon. However, it turns out the accident could have been much worse.

I didn’t know the concussion was due to a car accident at first. I thought he might have slipped at practice or something and got his “bell rung” a little bit. When I read the whole story, however, I was shocked.

My sincere condolences go out to his family, and I hope he continues to get better and back to dominating the Target Center. 

Towns was struck by a semi-truck while driving a Hyundai Santa Fe. Yeah, a semi-truck. He was supposedly traveling between 35-45 miles per hour when he was struck. Towns said he was “lucky to be alive” after the accident. That’s really scary. The Wolves’ best player was in serious danger of losing his life.

Further comments by Towns make the situation even more terrifying. “The accident could have went — I’d say I had a 5 percent chance of making it out alive,” Towns told reporters. “I hit the 5 percent mark. I’d say 4 percent was to be seriously injured, and 1 percent was to be minorly injured — and I came out in the 1 percent.” Towns basically just said he had a 95 percent chance of dying during the crash. That is insane. I can’t imagine a 23-year-old NBA star losing his life to a fatal car accident, especially someone who plays for the Timberwolves.

Now, those numbers might be a bit off, as they are completely given based off what Towns saw. However, the chance of death was still likely higher than one can be comfortable with. “It could have been much worse,” he said. “In all honesty, I probably should not have made it out like I did.” What a scary moment for Towns and Wolves’ fans.

But he does have a point: it could have been much worse. A Hyundai Santa Fe is a fairly large SUV. Towns, being 7-feet tall and 248 pounds, likely had a better chance of being less injured than most. If there was a 5-foot teenager who barely weighed a hundred pounds in the car, we could be discussing a whole different outcome. We just have to be thankful he came out on the side of grace for this one.

It turns out the accident could have been much worse. 

Based on the story, it’s incredible that he didn’t die or get seriously injured. You don’t hear of people getting hit by semi-trucks and making it out alive. The Timberwolves are a borderline playoff team as it is. If they lost Towns, then they would not be in contention. They would then probably spend another 10 years being in the bottom half of the NBA. He’s the only member of the Wolves’ that made the 2019 All-Star Game, as if I needed to point out his importance to the team.

I can’t believe this story stayed as quiet as it did. It wasn’t even the top story when the information was released Monday, Feb. 25. A star NBA player almost lost his life and people are barely talking about it? Maybe I’m just obsessive, but that seems pretty significant to me, and I’m not just saying that because Towns plays for the Timberwolves. If LeBron James got hit by a semi, that story would be the top headline for a week straight, with constant reports on his condition. I’m just saying this story is bigger than people are making it.

All I can say is I am grateful nothing too serious happened to Towns. This is a relief for the Towns family and the Timberwolves community. I hope this doesn’t affect his game going forward, but, most importantly, I hope he gets back to full strength and ready to continue leading the team he has led all season. My sincere condolences go out to his family, and I hope he continues to get better and back to dominating the Target Center.