A new police video shows that Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith was visibly shaken up and emotional after he was in a car accident that caused a 21-year-old to lose part of his leg.
Highsmith is being sued by the victim, who claims that the Heat player’s careless driving caused the tragedy.
In the footage of Highsmith, he can be seen putting his hands over his head, seemingly in distress, while also being consoled by a woman that was at the scene.
The footage of Highsmith was captured on the body camera from an officer in the Miami-Dade Police Department, according to TMZ. In the video, Highsmith is questioned by the officer as to how he hit the 21-year-old.
Highsmith says in the video that the car he hit was stopped and didn’t have lights on. Other witnesses in the video backed up Highsmith’s account, with one saying the vehicle “didn’t have emergency lights on.”
According to police documents obtained, Highsmith was driving 45 mph in a 40 mph zone. Highsmith was issued a citation for careless driving due to the accident.
The accident occurred on Feb. 6 after Miami’s win over the Orlando Magic. Highsmith did not play in Miami’s game against the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 7, but he has appeared in eight of the team’s last nine games.
It’s a sad situation for all parties involved, and it’s pretty clear in the video footage that Highsmith was shaken up and remorseful following the accident.
While Highsmith certainly has a lot to deal with off the court with the impending lawsuit, the Heat forward has been a key part of the team’s rotation – and success this season – on the court.
In 45 games for Miami this season, Highsmith is averaging 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist across 20.7 minutes per game. A former undrafted free agent, Highsmith is one of Miami’s better defenders, and he’s also shot the 3-ball well this season, hitting 36.8 percent of his shots from deep.
The big man has carved out a nice role in Miami over the last two seasons (he played in 54 games last season), and he even played in 18 of the team’s playoff games in the 2022-23 campaign. The Heat are hoping he can stay locked in this season with the team looking to make another deep postseason run.
