Seinfeld Actor "Newman" Killed in Tractor-Trailer Accident
March 16, 2014 BY TMZ TODAY
1955 - 2014
Newman of Seinfeld Dead
Actor Wayne Knight, better known to most for playing one of the most indelible roles on NBC's "Seinfeld" as the charater "Newman" is dead and two other passengers are critically injured after their vehicle slammed into a disabled semi-tractor-trailer late Saturday night along Route 446 near the Pennsylvania-New York state border in Eldred Township.
Kane-based state police have identified the deceased as the lovable "Newman." McKean County Coroner Jeff Levin said Knight died of blunt force trauma at the scene. Also injured in the crash were two of Knight's passengers, Christopher Davidson, 33, and an unidentified male, both of New York state. Police say the unidentified male was ejected from the back seat of the sedan.
Both male occupants were taken to Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital in critical condition before being flown to Buffalo, N.Y., area hospitals, according to a spokesperson for the Eldred Township Volunteer Fire Department. The unidentified male was the only rider not wearing a seatbelt.
The driver of the semi-tractor-trailer, Jorge Padilla, 57, of Olean, was in the truck's cab awaiting road service after he truck broke down approximately 30 minutes before the accident. He escaped injury. The tractor-trailer is reportedly owned by a small trucking fleet located in Olean.
Police said the crash occurred around 11:15 p.m., when for an unknown reason, Knight lost control of his 2013 Mercedes s550, slamming into the rear of a disabled 5-axle tractor trailer. The sedan sustained considerable damage.
newman tweet
Both vehicles remained at the scene well into the morning of Mar 16 while investigators gathered "witness accounts, and other vital information," police said.
The crash required both lanes of Route 446 to be closed for more than an hour. State police opened one lane so traffic could flow through while leaving one lane closed while investigations continued. A state police accident reconstruction team was on scene and has yet to release an official ruling on the cause, but a spokesman with the Eldred Township Volunteer Fire Department said slick road conditions in the area Saturday night likely played a part.
State police were assisted on scene by members of the Eldred and Portville (N.Y.) Volunteer Fire Departments and EMS units, as well as the Montoursville-based state police CARS Unit, DuBois-based state police Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program Unit, Medic 10 from Olean, Medic 1 from Bradford, McKeirnan Towing and Portville Towing.
While most people know Knight for his role of the mailman Newman in Seinfeld, he also has had prominent film roles, such as in JFK, Basic Instinct, and Jurassic Park. He even has done considerable voiceover work.
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