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Report Cites Speed, Road, Not Much More

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2007

CLEARWATER - The road was wet, the weather was cloudy, and Nick Bollea was speeding when he wrecked his 1998 Toyota Supra, critically injuring passenger John Graziano, police say.

These are the few tidbits of information on the Aug. 26 wreck contained in a six-page crash report released Tuesday by the Clearwater Police Department.

The report contains little of the critical information prosecutors are expected to weigh as they decide what charges, if any, to file against Bollea, the 17-year-old son of famed wrestler Hulk Hogan.

For instance, it contains no witness statements, nor does it say what Bollea was doing at the time of the 7:31 p.m. wreck, nor where he and Graziano were going. Although it says investigators made arrangements to test Bollea's blood for alcohol and drugs, it does not say what the results of those tests are.

No charges have been filed.

The report says Bollea lost control of the car, and, after it struck a curb, it spun 180 degrees across two lanes of traffic before slamming rear-end first into a palm tree.

The report says Bollea disregarded other traffic controls. Clearwater public safety spokeswoman Elizabeth Daly-Watts clarified this aspect of the report, saying it means Bollea was speeding.

The report does not say how fast the Supra was traveling, but it does say it had no mechanical defects. The car received $50,000 worth of damage, the report says. The damage to city shrubbery was put at $500, the report says.

Graziano remains in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center and has been deemed incapacitated, according to attorneys for his father and mother.

The two are involved in a court dispute over who should take care of him.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at spthompson@tampatrib.com or (727) 451-2336.

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