Power of Caring
  presented by CIGNA

Recker hospitalized but fine

Arizona transfer hospitalized after surviving fatal crash

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Tuesday July 13, 1999 09:46 PM

NCAA transfer regulations require Luke Recker to sit out a year, time he'll need to recover from his injuries. Jonathan Daniel/Allsport

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) -- Former Indiana basketball star Luke Recker remained in good condition Tuesday at a southwestern Colorado hospital recovering from injuries suffered in a weekend car crash allegedly caused by a drunken driver.

Mercy Hospital spokesman Joe Wade Plunk said Recker may leave the hospital as early as Wednesday.

Recker suffered a severe laceration on his left ear and a head laceration. His father, Clair Recker, said he should make a full recovery.

"It could've been worse. Thank God I'm still alive," Recker told Indianapolis TV station WTHR. "Most important is for my girlfriend and her brother to get better."

Recker and four friends were injured in the three-car accident Saturday night on County Road 240 near Durango in southwestern Colorado. He was a passenger in a vehicle driven by John Hollberg, 23, of Senoia, Ga., who was killed.

Among the most seriously injured were Recker's girlfriend, Kelly Craig, 19, of Jasper, Ind., who suffered a spinal fracture, and her brother, Jason Craig, 17, who suffered a closed head injury, Plunk said.

The Craigs were transported Sunday to the San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, N.M., where Jason was listed in critical condition in intensive care and Kelly in serious, spokeswoman Rhonda Warden said .

Arizona coach Lute Olson, who will coach Recker next year, said he was hoping for a full recovery for Recker and the Craigs.

"For something like this to happen to young people who have so much in front of them is just horrible and really puts life into perspective," Olson said in a statement.

Others in the Recker car identified by the State Patrol were Joanne McGurk, 18, of Durango listed in serious condition, and Brian O'Hara, 23, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who was in good condition Monday at Mercy Hospital.

Recker reportedly was part of a group of 17 people driving to a carnival in Durango when a truck driven by Bob Hardwick, 21, of Durango, drifted across the center line at about 70 mph, State Trooper Mike McGuire said.

The truck then sideswiped a pickup carrying 11 people in Recker's group and collided head-on with the Ford Taurus that Recker was riding in.

None of the people in the pickup truck that was sideswiped was hospitalized.

The Colorado State Patrol said Hardwick was being held under $500,000 bond on charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and drunken driving. He was scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon.

Recker, a Mr. Basketball in Indiana, transferred from Indiana to Arizona this year. He averaged 16.2 points and four rebounds last season as a sophomore forward for the Hoosiers.

Recker will sit out this year and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

 

Related information
Stories
Former Indiana star Recker to attend Arizona
Multimedia
Click here for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.