Joaquin Phoenix flips car

[Jonas]

'Walk the Line' star Joaquin Phoenix flips car
Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:48 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Walk the Line" star and presumed Oscar contender Joaquin Phoenix walked away a bit shaken but otherwise unhurt when the automobile he was driving rolled over in the Hollywood Hills, police said on Friday.

The 31-year-old actor told police the crash occurred when his brakes failed as he was driving along a winding stretch of Lookout Mountain Road shortly before 3 p.m. Pacific time on Thursday, said Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Martha Garcia.

The performer's car overturned on a hillside and collided with another vehicle, but neither driver was injured in the wreck, Garcia said.

A police officer who arrived on the scene found no evidence of alcohol, drugs or criminal negligence involved, so the crash will be left to the insurance companies to investigate.

"The officer helped (Phoenix) exchange information with the other party, and that was the end of it," Garcia said.

Phoenix won a Golden Globe Award and is favored to capture an Oscar nomination next week for his role as country music star Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line," co-starring Reese Witherspoon. He also has been nominated by the Screen Actors Guild, which presents its annual film awards on Sunday.

The actor's spokeswoman, Susan Patricola, was quoted by Us Weekly magazine on its Web site as saying Phoenix was "doing fine" after the accident but "may be very sore in the morning." She said he still planned to attend the SAG Awards.

Other films Phoenix has appeared in include "Gladiator," "The Yards" and "Quills." He is the younger brother of actor River Phoenix, who died of a drug overdose at age 23 in 1993.



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