The Australian rock star Jon Stevens ran over veteran Israeli journalist Akiva Eldar with his BMW at a crosswalk in Sydney Monday as Eldar was on his way to visit his mother-in-law.
Eldar, 69, was injured in the collision and evacuated to a hospital, where he underwent surgery on his right arm and left leg, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. His planned return to Israel will be delayed by several weeks pending recovery.
Stevens, 53, the former frontman of rock bands Noiseworks, INXS and The Dead Daisies, released a statement to Australia’s Nine Network saying he regretted the accident and lamented his recent spate of bad fortune.
The musician was due to appear in court Monday, accused of assaulting his ex-fiance model Jodhi Meares in a domestic dispute, but the charges were dropped last month.
“I hope the gentleman is OK. Police and paramedics have assured me he is but I’ll be checking in to make sure. It was just an accident. I can’t take a trick right now,” Stevens said.
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Jon Stevens in concert (CC BY-ND JamesDPhotography/Flickr)
After the crash, Stevens attempted to help Eldar until paramedics arrived, police said.
Eldar served for 35 years as chief political columnist for dovish Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz and his articles have been widely published in American print media. He currently writes for news and analysis website Al-Monitor.
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