Nobody is really sure what happened when former LSU athlete and current New York Giants safety Chad Jones got in a single-vehicle accident June 25 on North Carrollton Avenue -- not even the two passengers with him.
The passengers with Jones -- Robert Anthony Newman, 24, who lives in New Orleans, and Michael Mansion, 20, who lives in Atlanta -- were asleep right before the accident happened, according to an accident report filed by the New Orleans Police Department and obtained by The Times-Picayune on Friday. Mansion was in the front passenger's seat, and Newman was in the seat behind Mansion
Jones was traveling east on North Carrollton when, for reasons unknown, he lost control of his 2010 Range Rover and hit a light pole in the median near Toulouse Street, totalling the vehicle and seriously injuring Jones' left leg. Newman and Mansion went to the hospital with Jones but were released after being treated for minor injuries.
Newman and Mansion told Bianca DeIrish, the investigating officer on the scene, that none of the three in the vehicle drank any alcohol before the crash. Jones was interviewed by DeIrish at University Hospital at about 8:50 a.m., but he was "heavily sedated" at the time and could not remember much about the accident.
Jones told DeIrish he was leaving an unknown Uptown apartment complex before he got into the accident, the report said. Jones said he didn't remember the cause of the accident at the time, but did remember being put on a stretcher to be taken to the hospital.
DeIrish "did not observe the smell and odor of an alcoholic beverage" at the accident scene, according to the report.
The report says a DWI test was not administered because paramedics on the scene told DeIrish there was not enough evidence to believe alcohol or drugs were a factor.
An ambulance arrived on the scene at 6:25 a.m., about 10 minutes after it was dispatched. The ambulance left the scene at 6:48 a.m. and got to University Hospital at 6:51 a.m.
How fast Jones was driving is unknown. The report says DeIrish saw no skidmarks at the scene.
The speed limit for that part of North Carrollton Avenue is 35 mph.
Jones was cited for careless operation of a vehicle, and the investigation is closed, according to the report. Jones' fiancee, Jade Newman, signed the citation for Jones.
Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said Friday he didn't have an update on Jones' condition. Jones, a third-round draft pick, is receiving treatment at a New York hospital, and Hanlon said Jones likely will go through rehab in Baton Rouge.
Hanlon said he does not believe the accident will affect Jones' contract with the Giants. Jones signed his contract June 11 and has already received his signing bonus.
Newman and Mansion were unavailable for comment. Calls made to Jones' father, Al, and his agent, Rocky Arceneaux, were not returned Friday.
Jones' vehicle, which did not have a license plate at the time but was insured, was eventually towed from the scene.
