A South Carolina postal worker who was injured in a collision involving Clemson defensive back Fred Davis II has filed a lawsuit against Davis and teammate Malcolm Greene, alleging the two were racing at the time of the accident.
The lawsuit, filed by Karen Lorraine Alvarez in Pickens County, South Carolina, alleges that on July 21, 2021, Davis, driving a 2021 Dodge Charger, and Greene, driving a Ford, were witnessed driving “at a high rate of speed, weaving in and out of lanes, and the defendants appeared to be racing their vehicles.”
Davis was arrested and charged with misdemeanor reckless driving after the crash, with subsequent tests showing he was driving 115 mph before the crash. The collision, which occurred on US Highway 129 outside Clemson, overturned Alvarez’s mail truck and pushed it into oncoming traffic.
Greene’s vehicle was not involved in the collision, and he was not charged with a crime at the time of the incident.
According to the lawsuit, Alvarez said she suffered “serious, severe, and permanent injuries, including fractures of her skull, spine, pelvis, rib, and clavicle” in the accident.
“Everybody knew this was coming. It’s a civil suit, and that stuff will play out,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Wednesday. “But we all know there’s consequences. It was a year ago, and they’ve had a lot of things internally, but there are going to be consequences for that for a long time. But it doesn’t change anything as far as their status with the team.”
Swinney added: “It’s a very sad situation that somebody almost lost their life. They’re really fortunate the lady involved survived, but she’s got a lot of challenges.”
At the time of the incident, a Clemson spokesman said Davis “would be subject to internal discipline” according to the school’s student-athletes handbook, which gave Swinney latitude to determine punishment.
Davis ultimately played in nine games last season, while also battling injuries. He finished the season with six tackles, largely participating on special teams. Davis has played in all five games for Clemson this season.
Greene has played in 10 games last season and has been a regular contributor in three games so far in 2021, including hauling in an interception against Louisiana Tech.