John Dreker passed along a report this morning out of the Dominican Republic that Pirates prospect Oneil Cruz was involved in a traffic accident that killed three people. The Pirates have issued a statement saying they are aware of the accident, and that Cruz is cooperating fully with the local authorities.
Team statement on this news:
“The Pirates are aware of the tragic accident in the Dominican Republic involving Oneil Cruz. We have been in contact with Oneil and he is cooperating fully with the local authorities. We will provide an update as more information becomes available.” https://t.co/f6Nf8p9oxi— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) September 22, 2020
The original report, which came from Diario Libre, said that a collision between Cruz’s vehicle and a motorcycle containing three passengers took place on Monday evening. All three passengers on the motorcycle were killed in the crash.
There is no word on Cruz’s condition, other than the fact that the Pirates have been in contact with him.
We will update this situation as more information becomes known.
UPDATE: According to this update from ESPN (Spanish site), it was determined that Cruz was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. He will have a hearing tomorrow and could face up to five years in prison if convicted. This is obviously bad news for the Pirates and Cruz, and doesn’t make it any easier for the families and friends of the victims.
