We posted yesterday that UFC Featherweight and Oklahoma police officer Matt Grice was grievously injured in a car wreck this weekend. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has issued a statement:
“On Sunday, Sept 8th, at approximately 4pm off-duty Officer Matthew Grice (age 32) was involved in a serious multi-car accident in Shawnee, OK (accident investigated by Oklahoma Highway Patrol). The accident left him in critical condition. Officer Grice was transported to an Oklahoma City hospital, where his status is currently listed as confidential. The Grice family has asked for privacy as they deal with this sudden and unfortunate situation.”
The Oklahoman has more:
“Grice, who was off duty, was stopped at a red light at U.S. 177 at 45th Street in Shawnee when he was hit from behind, according to the patrol report. Michael Monroe, 53, of Oklahoma City, said he was distracted by a passenger when he hit the Jeep…. Grice’s Jeep hit another Jeep stopped at the red light. That driver, Christopher Seward, 23, of Sparks, was not injured. His passenger, Keely Seward, 21, of Sparks, was treated for a neck injury at a Shawnee hospital and released, the patrol reports. Monroe was not injured. A passenger in his van, Mason Seale, 8, of Bethany, was taken to OU Medical Center and admitted in good condition with a head injury, the patrol reports. Another passenger, Keandre Bruener, 11, of Oklahoma City, was not injured. Everyone involved in the crash wore a seat belt except Grice.”
Grice’s friend Daniel Rubenstein had the following tweet to dispute published reports that Grice hadn’t been wearing a seat belt:
Per Matt’s wife: Matt was wearing seatbelt when the accident happened, contrary to what news reported. Nurse responding to scene removed it.
— Daniel Rubenstein (@dannyrube) September 10, 2013
Grice (15-5, 2-5 UFC) is coming off a Fight of the Night performance against Dennis Bermudez at UFC 157. He lost that bout via split decision. He had been scheduled to face Jeremy Larsen at UFC 166 in October.
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