PORTLAND -- A woman who was a passenger in a car driven by Ndamukong Suh when he crashed last December in downtown Portland has sued the Detroit Lions star for $1 million, according to KGW news partner The Oregonian.
Suh crashed his car into a light pole, drinking fountain and tree before coming to a stop at 3rd and Burnside, according to the police report filed at the time.
The Oregonian reports that Saadia Van Winkle, 32, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, claiming Suh ordered her out of the car while verbally and physically intimidating her and telling her she was not hurt.
KGW previously reported that Portland native and Grant High School star Suh gave a description to police about his Portland crash that was different than the accounts given by two passengers in the car.
Just after the crash that Saturday morning, Suh was interviewed by police and said that he was trying to pass a taxicab when he lost control of the 1970 Chevrolet Coupe and crashed into a tree, according to the original police report. He also said that no one was injured. No citations were issued.
Background: Suh involved in Portland crash
Pics: Photos of crash scene from witness
Two of the people who were passengers in the car later come forward with information that disputed Suh’s story. The amended police report quotes one of those passengers who said she, too, was injured in the crash.
“When the light turned green, he floored it,” one of the passengers told KGW. “I just remember going so fast and it was violent and just getting thrown around like rag dolls.”
The woman said she was injured in the crash and on the day of her interview with KGW, she had a cut upper eyebrow which required stitches, a black eye and a busted lip. A second passenger backed up her claims but did not want to speak on camera. Photos: Woman's injuries (warning graphic)
At the time, the passengers requested that KGW not reveal their names, for privacy reasons. The people quoted in the police report also asked officers to keep their identities anonymous, saying they feared for their safety.
The police report first obtained by KGW said that two people were hurt in the crash and one required urgent hospital care. The second injured person was quoted in the police report as saying, "He [Suh] was driving unsafe. It was just clear to me that we were going too fast."
Suh himself was among those who called 9-1-1 to report the crash. KGW obtained a copy of that 9-1-1 call. When asked “Are you sure you don’t need an ambulance?” Suh replied, “Yes, everyone is fine.”
More: Listen to Suh's 9-1-1 call
Also in that police report, the female passenger said she told Suh repeatedly she was hurt and needed a doctor. She said he refused and told her she was fine. She eventually walked down the street and had her husband pick her up and take her to Oregon Health and Science University for treatment.
The woman said nearly 50 people swarmed Suh’s car after the crash and started snapping photos and she felt Suh was more worried about his image than her injuries.
