Former Arsenal star Jose Antonio Reyes was driving at 116mph when his back-left tyre exploded and killed him and a cousin, police report reveals
- Jose Antonio Reyes and his cousin Jonathan were killed in a car crash last June
- A police report has revealed the back-left tyre on his Mercedes ‘exploded’
- The former Arsenal forward was travelling at 116mph before the accident
A police report has revealed former Arsenal superstar Jose Antonio Reyes was driving at 116 mph when his ‘back-left tyre exploded’ leading to his fatal car crash.
Former Real Madrid forward Reyes, 35, suffered a car accident on 1st June 2019 while driving in his Mercedes S 550 with two cousins.
The accident claimed his life and that of another passenger whilst leaving his other cousin covered in burns to 60 percent of his body.
Jose Antonio Reyes was killed when the tyre on his car exploded, according to a police report
Reyes was travelling at 116mph when the crash happened, killing him and his cousin Jonathan
According to Spanish radio network ‘Cadena SER’ the ‘conclusion the Civil Guard who studied the accident have reached’ is the former winger was driving at ‘at least at 187 kph (116 mph) when his back-left wheel of his Mercedes S 550 exploded.’
The report goes on the mention the wheel that malfunctioned and led up to the accident was ‘repaired by his cousin a few days before at a garage in Merida’ in southern Spain.
News of the accident shocked football fans, however, the exact circumstances leading up to it remained unclear.
Initial reports by local media claimed the former winger was travelling at a speed of 234 kph (147 mph).
Ensuing reports later claimed Reyes was not driving at such an excessive speed but the incident was caused by a problem with his back-left wheel.
Reyes and his cousin Jonathan Reyes, 23, were killed in the crash on the A-376 motorway near the town of Alcala de Guadaira in southern Spain.
His other cousin Juan Manuel Calderon suffered serious burns after trying to save the pair from the vehicle while it was ablaze.
Jose Antonio Reyes was the first Spanish player to win the Premier League with Arsenal, where he was also immortalised as an ‘Invincible’ from their 2003-04 unbeaten season.
He was also a La Liga champion with Real Madrid and a three-time Europa League winner with Sevilla.
He left a wife, two daughters and a son behind.
