Oklahoma State wrestling star AJ Ferrari, cross country runner Isai Rodriguez seriously injured in car crash
Oklahoma State wrestler AJ Ferrari and track athlete Isai Rodriguez were involved in a serious car crash Monday night.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Ferrari was driving his 2019 Dodge Durango with Rodriguez as his passenger on Highway 33 near Perkins, Oklahoma, at about 8 p.m., when he "attempted to pass 3 vehicles while cresting a hill." Ferrari's SUV hit an oncoming vehicle, then left the roadway to the left and overturned several times before coming to rest in a ditch.
The cause of the collision was listed as "passing in a no-passing zone."
The other driver, Valenda McKee, 56, of Ripley, Oklahoma, was not injured, according to the report. The OHP said all drivers were wearing seat belts.
Ferrari, the NCAA champion in the 197-pound weight class, was transported via helicopter to a hospital in Oklahoma City, where he was listed in fair condition.
Rodriguez, a multiple-time NCAA All-American in cross country, was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Stillwater. According to the police report, he was listed in fair condition with internal, arm, leg and head injuries.
Oklahoma State said in a statement that neither of the two athletes suffered life-threatening injuries. They were returning to Stillwater after an appearance at a youth wrestling practice in Cushing.
OSU football offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn, who was coincidentally in a car that Ferrari passed, witnessed the crash and was able to pull Ferrari to safety after the SUV caught on fire, a source told ESPN, confirming a report by Pokes Report.
The source said that Dunn was unable to open the driver's door to get Ferrari out but that he was able to pull Ferrari out of a window after the glass had shattered in the crash.
Ferrari's father said in a Facebook post that it appeared that his son had no broken bones.
"He has fluid in his lungs that is affecting his oxygen levels and some bad bruising with some internal bleeding, so they are keeping him here," the father wrote.
Ferrari, 20, is one of the biggest stars in college wrestling and signed an NIL deal with the WWE's "Next in Line" program in December.
"If you saw the car and AJ, you would know this was a miracle," his father wrote.
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