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The New York Jets have been named in a lawsuit involving cornerback Brandin Echols, who is being sued over a car accident that occurred outside the team’s facility in Florham Park, New Jersey back in 2022.
According to the lawsuit filed by the Essex County, New Jersey man, on April 26, 2022, Echols lost control of his car and hit the plaintiff’s which “catapulted into the air, striking and going over the guardrail, overturning, and landing upside down in a marshy area.”
The Jets have been named in the lawsuit as the plaintiff claims that the organization did not do its due diligence as it failed to “conduct the proper motor vehicle, criminal history, or reference checks” on Echols, who had a history of reckless driving.
“The suit, filed in the Superior Court of Morris County, states Echols was arrested and charged with multiple violations, including speeding and reckless driving.”
“Police arrived after the crash to find Echols’ black 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat disabled in the eastbound lanes of the turnpike, and Gilberg’s black BMW X5 on its roof in a marsh about 50 feet from the roadway. Gilberg was seriously injured, hospitalized, and continues to require medical care and treatment, according to the suit.” [via NJ.com]
In addition to Echols and the Jets, the New Jersey Department of Transportation was also named in the suit for being “negligent in the design and installment of curbs and guardrails along the crash site.”
Echols was drafted by the Jets out of the University of Kentucky in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has remained with the team since. Echols also played at Northwest Mississippi Community College from 2017 to 2018.
Throughout his NFL career thus far, Echols has appeared in 41 games for the Jets and has made 75 total tackles (58 solo, 17 assisted). He also has had 13 passes defended, three interceptions, and two touchdowns.