Hawks F Johnson hurt in serious car crash

ATLANTA, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Atlanta Hawks forward DerMarr Johnson suffered a serious head injury in an automobile accident early Friday morning.

A team spokesman said details of the accident were not immediately available, but John Steinberg said it took place in the Cascade section of Atlanta.

Johnson, 22, was taken to Southwest Community Hospital before being taken to Atlanta Medical Center.

An update on Johnson's condition is expected on Friday afternoon, but his injuries are not considered life threatening. He currently is listed as stable, with a vertebral body fracture, described by Dr. Paul King, a neurosurgeon at the Atlanta Medical Center, as a cervical spine fracture.

"All the signs appear to be very positive," said Atlanta Vice President and General Manager Pete Babcock. "There's no paralysis and none of his functions appear to be affected at all, so that's great news. The surgeon says the spinal fracture can be repaired."

According to Steinberg, two other individuals not affiliated with the Hawks were in the car with Johnson and it was not immediately clear who was driving the vehicle.

Johnson took part in a voluntary workout with teammates on Thursday at Philips Arena.

Johnson, a first-round draft choice of the Hawks in 2000 out of Cincinnati, averaged 8.4 points per contest in 72 games last season.