Footballer’s High-Speed Crash: Passenger Reveals Spine Fracture and Near-Death Experience

"We have been seeing each other for a short time in fact. We corresponded for some time on social networks and then we met for the first time, that week," confides Laura, 27, who was with Sofian Kiyine at the time of the accident. On the day of the accident, the player and the young woman "went out in Seraing and then in the Carré in Liège. When it was time to leave, Sofian had had too much to drink. I offered to drive, but he refused. We then left and it must be said that Sofian was driving at a maximum of 30 km/h. In the car we then talked about our future. You should know that I work in Spain and that he plays in Italy (Editor’s note: at US Triestina in Serie C, the 3rd Italian division). I was a bit closed off and Sofian was clearly upset. Was it to scare me or to show his displeasure? I don’t know. The fact is that he suddenly accelerated. That’s when he lost control of the car and hit a roundabout before hitting a directional post and ending up against a streetlight. The impact was very violent and the airbags were triggered," Laura tells La Dernière Heure.

The passenger had started to feel severe back pain after the accident. "I am indeed suffering from a fracture of the spine (of the D12 vertebra), a concussion and several broken ribs. As there was smoke in the car, I thought it was going to explode. I then did what I could and crawled on the ground. Fortunately, some young people who arrived by car helped me. A young girl and a young man took care of me and put me in their car until the emergency services arrived." The young woman will then be immobilized and then taken to the hospital. "After several examinations, it was decided not to operate on me, but to immobilize me with a corset. I have to stay in bed for 8 weeks. I am only allowed to get up or sit for one hour a day and I have to wear this corset permanently. Then, after the eight weeks of immobilization, I have to undergo more examinations," the young woman explains.

This immobilization is completely disrupting Laura’s life. "Indeed, I was supposed to return to Spain on the day of the accident to move. I changed jobs and I had to leave Malaga for Alicante. So I resigned and didn’t start my new job. I couldn’t even move! Fortunately, friends took care of it." The young woman does not hold it against Sofian, but their relationship has taken a hit after this accident. "He has been in touch with me and I have answered him. I want to say that I do not hold it against him for the accident. But Sofian is an immature person who has not learned the lesson from his first accident," she asserts.

The alcohol test taken by Sofian Kiyine after the accident was positive, showing a rate of 1.5 grams of alcohol per liter of blood, three times the limit set at 0.5 g. The Liège public prosecutor’s office has withdrawn the player’s driver’s license for a period of 15 days. The "flying footballer" had also tested positive for alcohol on March 30, 2023, when he had hit a roundabout at a speed of 150 km/h with his Mercedes, which had crossed the wall of the Louis Melin sports hall to end up on the basketball court, where young players were finishing a training session.