COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two Clemson football players were racing each other in the moments before a crash that severely injured a postal worker in July 2021, according to a civil court lawsuit filed Wednesday.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of crash victim Karen Lorraine Alvarez accused Clemson defensive backs Fred Davis II and Malcolm Greene of “racing their vehicles” prior to Davis’ car colliding with Alvarez’s postal vehicle on July 21, 2021 on U.S. Highway 123 in Clemson.
Davis’ vehicle was going 115 mph when he first applied his brakes 2.8 seconds before the collision, according to the lawsuit. Davis ultimately collided with the rear of Alvarez’s vehicle at 70 mph, according to a Clemson police report.
As a result of the crash, Alvarez, a U.S. Mail carrier, “sustained serious, severe, and permanent injuries including fractures of her skull, spine, pelvis, rib, and clavicle,” according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday morning in Pickens County Commons Pleas Court.
The Pickens County Commons Pleas Court is a form of civil court, which tries cases without charges involved. There are no current charges against Davis or Greene in Wednesday’s lawsuit, the Pickens County clerk of the court office told The State.
Greenville-based attorney David R. Price Jr. is representing Alvarez in the lawsuit that demands “actual and punitive damages in an amount to be determined” by a trial by jury. The lawsuit filed against Davis and Greene was first reported by Riley Morningstar of The (Seneca) Journal.
“Our law firm maintains that all people are accountable for the harms they cause to other people, and we stand by our pleadings and look forward to our client’s day in court,” Price’s office said Wednesday in a statement released Wednesday on behalf of Alvarez. “Any additional comment would not be appropriate under our Rules.”
Ross Taylor, a Clemson football spokesman, told The State on Wednesday afternoon that the school was aware of the lawsuit but had no immediate comment or immediate update on the status of either Davis or Greene.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is expected to address the media Wednesday night in a regularly scheduled Zoom news conference.
Davis, a junior cornerback for the Tigers, was arrested and charged with reckless driving last summer following the accident, The State previously reported.
Swinney last August said that Davis would face internal discipline and have to deal with “lots of consequences ... for a long, long time” after the charge. Davis remained with the program and ultimately played in nine games in 2021.
Davis has played in five games and started four for Clemson this season, while Greene, a junior defensive back, has played in three games with one start. Greene has missed Clemson’s last two games with injury.
