WACO, Texas, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- The father and half brother of San Diego Chargers All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson were killed in a car crash Friday near his hometown in Texas.
Oliver Tomlinson, 71, was riding in a truck driven by Ronald McClain, 49, when a tire on the vehicle blew out, causing the vehicle swerve off the road and flip over, killing Tomlinson at the scene, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported. McClain died later at a hospital.
Jewel Tomlinson, Oliver's wife and L.T's stepmother, told the newspaper that her husband had been estranged from the NFL star for much of Tomlinson's life, however, LaDainian had contacted his father during his sophomore year in college and the pair happily reunited.
The San Diego Union-Tribune said the NFL's 2006 MVP was thought to have been on his way to Texas and was not available for comment.
