West Ham’s Michail Antonio ‘stable’ after horror car crash as club issues update
The Hammers forward was taken to hospital after the collision, with the club confirming the incident in a statement
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Your support makes all the difference.West Ham forward Michail Antonio is “stable” and “communicating” after sustaining injuries from a terrifying car accident.
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon in Epping, Essex, with the county’s police force calling for witnesses after the 34-year-old was taken to a hospital in London.
Unverified images circulated on social media of a crumpled Ferrari, with Essex Fire Service confirming that they found “a man trapped in his car and worked to release him”.
Essex Police have opened an investigation with West Ham providing an update on the player’s condition on Saturday evening.
A club statement read: “West Ham United can confirm striker Michail Antonio has today been involved in a road traffic accident.
“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the club are with Michail, his family and friends at this time.
“West Ham United can confirm that Michail Antonio is in a stable condition following a road traffic accident this afternoon in the Essex area.
“Michail is conscious and communicating and is currently under close supervision at a central London hospital. At this difficult time, we kindly ask everyone to respect the privacy of Michail and his family.
“The club will make no further comment this evening, but will issue a further update in due course.”
Essex Police said: "Officers investigating a serious collision in Epping are asking for witnesses and dash cam footage,” read an Essex Police statement.
“We were called shortly after 12.50pm on Saturday 7 December to Coppice Row, Epping, following reports of what is believed to be a single vehicle collision involving a Ferrari. Emergency services attended and the driver has been taken to hospital. The vehicle has been recovered and we are no longer on scene.
"An investigation will be carried out by our Roads Policing Unit. If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us.
“Please quote incident 605 of 7 December when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible. Alternatively, please email the investigating officer, PS Mark Hewitt."
Antonio has played 15 games this season for the Hammers, scoring one goal and assisting another in the Premier League.
The 34-year-old featured in the midweek defeat at Leicester, coming on as a substitute after 62 minutes.
The Jamaica international has played for West Ham since signing from Nottingham Forest in 2015, going on to feature in more than 300 games.
Antonio was involved in a car accident on Christmas Day in 2019 and opened up about the incident in 2021.
The father of four said: “It was Christmas Day. Still to this day it has hurt me. I miss that car. Basically, I was driving but it was a slippery road.”
Antonio admitted to recently struggling with his mental health and losing his love for the game in a conversation with the High Performance podcast.
“I was going through my divorce and stuff, and I honestly couldn’t get my head around it,” Antonio said.
“It wasn’t until probably December where I was in a better place where I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve won a European championship.’”
The forward also recalled a game in December 2022 when he thought, “I’m not enjoying football,” adding: “During the game, I was like, ‘I’m really not enjoying this.’ I just felt quite negative. I’m a very positive person myself.
“I didn’t score from December until I think it was March, April time. And I just felt run-down. And then I went away with Jamaica because I was enjoying football with Jamaica for some strange reason. But I actually prayed for an injury. I was like, “I just want to get injured, I want some time off.”
A number of West Ham’s rival clubs have posted well wishes.
A social media post from Arsenal read: “Everyone at Arsenal sends their love, support and well wishes to Michail, his family and West Ham United.”
Chelsea said: “The thoughts of everyone at Chelsea FC are with Michail and his family.”
A message from Liverpool read: “The thoughts and prayers of everyone at LFC are with Michail and his family.”
West Ham were not playing on Saturday but host Wolves at the London Stadium on Monday.
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