More Details On Accident Involving Orlando Bloom
(There is video at the end.)
More details are coming to light concerning the accident Thursday night involving actor Orlando Bloom and two passengers, one of whom is reported to have been celebrity stylist Cher Coulter. Compiled from various sources, here is the rundown of what happened that night:
- According to X17, Orlando was spotted at restaurant Ita Cho at around 10 PM.
- Later, he went to a club named Green Door, where he was spotted with a bottle of Grey Goose vodka. At around 2 AM, a witness saw him “definitely stumbling” on his way out of the club, and even saw him take a shot.
- Orlando had an intense discussion with a man (identified by TMZ as fashion photographer Damon Kidwell) in the front seat of a car. There was a woman with her head in her hands in the back seat. Orlando was overheard to say, “I didn’t realize he was your boyfriend!” TMZ reports that her name is Veronica Taylor, and that Orlando had acted “inappropriately” towards her in the club. Orlando and Kidwell had words about the event. You can see this video here.
- When Orlando gave a paparazzi the car keys that the photographer had dropped, one of the other photographers thought he could smell alcohol on his breath.
- Orlando got into the Matrix’s passenger seat. There was a brunette woman in the driver’s seat and a blonde woman in the back, passed out or lying down (Coulter).
- They drove west on Sunset, turned around, went east on Sunset, pulled over, and Orlando got in the driver’s seat.
- Orlando is driving at this point. He made a sudden U-turn on Fountain and almost hit another car. He tried to make a left turn onto Vista when he hit the parked Porsche Cayenne.
- Orlando at that point began walking away from the scene of the crash. However, another photographer on the scene talked him into returning to the crashed car. A few minutes later emergency crews arrived.
Now, it is clear from both video and from these accounts that Orlando did in fact attempt to leave the scene of the accident. A photographer who was following him had this to say:
“I jumped out of my car after everyone suddenly stopped,” our photog reports. “As I was the fourth car behind him, I didn’t know a crash occurred. As I got out of the car, I saw Orlando get out of his. He got out of the driver’s side door. He was clearly driving. Right away he cut over to the sidewalk and started walking away from the car. He was walking west.”
At this point, the paparazzi start pointing out that he shouldn’t leave the scene and that he needed to take care of the situation; Orlando paused for a moment - in our photog’s words, the actor “sort of gave a shrug of acknowledgement” - and headed back to the scene of the accident. Once there, he started attending to the woman in the back seat; our photog reports that she “was bleeding bad. Orlando helped her out of the back seat with the other woman. But she couldn’t walk. She was staggering so they put her down on the street.”
In video taken by X17, you can clearly see Orlando walking away from the scene of the accident, and a photographer telling him that he has to go back and “deal with it”. While Orlando is walking back to the car, he appears to be in no particular hurry to check on the safety of his passengers, one of whom had a fractured neck. You also hear someone, presumably Orlando, say that “The paparazzi just caused it.”
There are also multiple paparazzi darting in and out of the scene, taking photos and filming. It is unclear from the video if any of them attempted to help other than talking Orlando back onto the scene. It is unclear as well who the man in the skull and crossbones t-shirt is who was attempting to help Ms. Coulter.
However, there are conflicting reports as to what happened that night. TMZ is reporting that the LAPD is saying that the accident was due to Orlando being cut off by another car and that drugs or alcohol were not involved:
Police tell TMZ that they’ve determined actor Orlando Bloom was not drunk or under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident. Police tell us that they did not administer a blood alcohol test at the scene, and would not say if one was given at all. But, they insist he was not under the influence.
In videos of Orlando and his friends earlier in the evening, they appear to be in high spirits and good moods. Orlando and the brunette, in particular, appear to be giggly and happy, perhaps as a result of too much to drink. Orlando appears to be moving slowly but deliberately in these videos, perhaps in an attempt to hide his possible inebriation. Nobody appears to be stumbling around or in an obvious drunken state, although it does seem that they are not quite sober. In footage shot as the trio were leaving, Orlando and the brunette were laughing as she tried to start an already-running car, and they were acting at least tipsy.
In videos of the scene, Orlando appears to be moving about normally, with no obvious impairment. He appears to be speaking in a normal voice without slurring or obvious signs of drunken speech.
It would appear that many things were factors in this accident, including the possible drinking of Orlando and/or the possible involvement of another car, which could or could not have been a paparazzi car chasing the trio.
The LAPD issued this statement:
There was no alcohol or drug use suspected. It’s also possible that they might have administered a blood-alcohol test to Orlando at the local LA-area hospital where he was taken, but the LAPD have not been provided with any test results blood test results.
There were two female passengers in the vehicle, the 30 year-old brunette in the front seat, who suffered lacerations and a blonde, 35 years-old, who was in the back, who LAPD believe suffered a neck fracture.
The investigation is on-going and if the LAPD were to receive blood test results from the hospital that showed an illegal alcohol level, that would certainly factor into their investigation.
Officer [Ana] Aguirre says there will be no criminal charges and Orlando “appears to be an innocent victim.”
The questions remain, however: Why did the brunette woman let Orlando drive if he, indeed, was under the influence? Did Orlando and his party have too much to drink? Why were they driving so erratically? Why did Orlando attempt to leave the scene of an accident? And why do women swoon over this greaseball?
But here is the part you’ve been waiting for this entire article, and it was worth the wait…today’s “You Gotta Be Kidding” moment:
“He showed no signs or symptoms of intoxication,” an LAPD spokeswomen tells OK!, explaining why no sobriety test was given. “The officers are experts. They can tell by looking if a person is intoxicated.”
Of course they can. People who are drunk always have dilated pupils and stumble around and slur their words. Absolutely. Someone who is unfit to drive would look unfit, right? They always look so obviously drunk. There’s no way that someone leaving a club at that hour of the morning and going on an erratic drive and then leaving the scene of an accident could possibly have had too much to drink. You know, you can tell many things just by looking at a person. For example, I can tell by looking at Britney Spears that her diet consists of carrot sticks and spinach, and I can tell by looking at Nicole Richie that she has been overeating a lot lately because, let’s face it, she’s getting a bit tubby around the middle.
This first video is shortly before the accident. Listen for the understatement of the night right at the end (after the woman tries to start a already-running car):
This is video shortly after the accident. You can clearly see Orlando walking away and a photographer convincing him to go back:
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Pingback by SUVs from Motorweblog.info » Blog Archive » More Details On Accident Involving Orlando Bloom — October 15, 2007 @ 1:50 am
Another website intent on tearing down Orlando Bloom. This says more about you than it does him.
Have you ever been in an accident? The first thing is shock and confusion. I know. I had a similar accident.
He was not drunk. A blog by an assistant editor states Bloom did not try to leave the scene and that he was not drunk. He’s a Buddhist. His cousin Bastian mentioned this in an interview the following day and said that Bloom doesn’t drink alcohol. BTW, he giggles all the time. The clear liquid was probably water.
Yes, he had a confrontation earlier in the evening, apparently in an attempt to clear up bad feelings. I understant they shook hands.
At the point that he left the car, we don’t know his intentions. He, perhaps, saw only his friend in the front who is o.k. with a few bruises. His friend in the back may not have realized how bad she was hurt until later especially if she had been drinking. The blood we see in videos has had many minutes to flow, and may not have been there when he left the car.
He certainly had no reason to flee. He has no record. He can easily pay for damages. WHY would he leave?
But, people who don’t believe in good, always try to find the evil in people. Even if it’s not there.
Comment by Ellen Armstrong — October 15, 2007 @ 9:39 am
brilliant point (above)
Comment by me — October 15, 2007 @ 10:13 am
#2…I had a response for you, but I’ve decided that since you don’t understand my original article, you won’t understand my rebuttal. It’s not worth my time…I stand by my article.
Have a nice day.
Comment by k — October 15, 2007 @ 11:15 am
All Buddhists are tea total??? That’s news to me - as I am a practicing Christian/Buddhist - love many of the philosophies but I still partake in the odd glass or two of wine - as do many other people I know. After watching all of the videos I think the police officers were remiss not to conduct a field sobriety test. If that accident happened to you or me I guarantee they would have busted out the breathylyzer (Spelling?).
Mr. Bloom was clearly concerned about his own hide first and foremost. In the interaction he had with the papz he showed no sign of shock - when they called him on being a weiney he turned tail and faced the music. His first instinct was to bolt and let his friends take the rap. He should thank the guy that talked some sense into him.
Good article k!
Comment by ebayer — October 15, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
Ellen, without going into the many fallacies of your statement, as all one has to do is watch the video, it is clear that some people are so obsessed with people they don’t know who are also famous, that they are blinded to the reality that ultimately, people are people.
Orlando is just some guy prone to the same response we might all feel, but most wouldn’t dare think of doing: avoiding trouble.
As for the author only seeing evil? Good heavens you couldn’t be more wrong. K is about as good-natured and kind-hearted as they come. She’s just not stupid.
Unlike say Orlando, in this situation.
As for Buddhists being perfect…*sigh*…my mom is a practicing Buddhist and every time she complains about one her Buddhist companions acting like an a-hole, I say “Hey I thought Buddhist were supposed to be enlightened?”
Her response: “There are idiots in every walk of society, Buddhists included.”
Comment by D — October 15, 2007 @ 1:04 pm
the fifth precept states that “I undertake to abstain from intoxicating drugs and drink” but realistically within the diverse Buddhist community there are two different approaches to the issue of alcohol and its consumption - the first prohibits it and the second approach does not condemn followers that drink in moderation - that it is up to the individual to measure this for him/her self.
“To what extent do our drinking habits bring harm to ourselves or others?’ and let this guide our behavior”.
Comment by ebayer — October 15, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
Thanks, everyone, for the words of support.
I’ve decided to rebut after all, since I do feel the need to clarify some of the things that have been leveled against me that are completely untrue and unfair.
#2…my intent, as you put it, was not to tear down Orlando Bloom, but to show that there are many sides to one story. I can’t help it if you are not capable of seeing any side but one.
I went out of my way, and made a long article longer, attempting to show that while some say he had been drinking and was drunk, others say he had not been drinking and was not drunk; that while some say he was driving erratically, others say it was the paparazzi’s fault; while some say he was stumbling around and acting drunk, others say that he was acting normally. I even noted myself that on the video of the accident scene he was not VISIBLY acting intoxicated…although, in video of before the accident, he WAS APPEARING to act somewhat tipsy.
I also made the point that you cannot gauge drunkenness or if someone is impaired by too much alcohol by how they appear. The only way to do that is through a breathalyzer test…which was not given to him, at least that we know of.
Head injuries to the front of the head/face do bleed quickly and profusely, as the blood is very close to the surface of the skin there. Even a small cut will bleed everywhere. I know, I’ve had a cut from a car accident in approximately the same area on my face as the woman in the video and I required five stitches to close it. I also bled profusely from it in the same manner. So yes, he should have stayed around to check his passengers. He should have checked anyway, even if there were no visible signs of injury.
I also have had accidents such as Orlando’s. In none of them did I attempt to walk off or flee the scene. If you watch the video you see that he gets out of the car and leaves. He does NOT stop or turn around until one of the photographers tells him that he could be charged with hit and run. ONLY then does he turn around and go back. He does not appear at any point to have any sort of head injury that would cause him to be disoriented. That is on the video, so if you want to take umbrage with me for reporting what is on the video then so be it. But you can’t argue with the facts captured on tape.
As far as him being a Buddhist…well, of course, how silly of me…no person who follows any certain religion has ever done something that is against their professed religion. So I guess that option is out, right? As so many have already pointed out, his being a Buddhist doesn’t preclude his having a drink. Yes, on the night in question perhaps he went overboard with his drinking, with the consequences that you see here. But just because he is a Buddhist doesn’t mean he doesn’t drink, just as because someone is a Christian doesn’t mean they don’t steal (for example).
Since you know nothing about me, or know what I believe or don’t believe, or whether I believe in good or no, or what tragedies I have gone through in my life, I suggest you keep your comments relevant to the article. I attempted to show both sides of the story and ask pertinent questions relating to the night (well, the greaseball question maybe wasn’t, but that was just because I don’t see what is so attractive and sexy about the man, and since I’ve been asked to write for the site I can ask whatever I want).
I can’t help it if people like you want to see this action as “tearing down” Orlando Bloom. I have no desire to do so. Frankly, he is barely a blip on my radar. But certain people will always see any negative comments about a certain star, even truthful ones, as evil…even when it isn’t there.
Comment by k — October 15, 2007 @ 3:17 pm
i’m so glad someone knows what his intentions were. must be a mind reader. and obviously never been in a wreck because i agree that the most instant reaction is disorientation. maybe he was going to get help, you don’t know. no one knows but him. i’m just glad it wasn’t worse.
Comment by me. — October 15, 2007 @ 3:52 pm
I don’t know if my comment is going to be relevant but I personally find Orlando Bloom very attractive. (s’cuse my spelling, I’m not very good.) As far as the accident goes it almost seems that there is not enough information to know the full situation. K, I really appreciate the article though, It was very well written. Overall, I don’t really think the event is extreemly imprortant in the grand scheme of things; if it were anyone else it would barely make the local news. Again, i had fun reading
Cheers,
Morgan
Comment by Morgan — October 15, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
My Zen Buddhist teacher would go out with us once a week, and enjoy a little sake until his bald head reddened. We teased him about it. And yes, I’m a Zen Buddhist, too. To not drink and adhere to the precepts is Zen. But so is drinking a little sake. I am not being sarcastic. I don’t know what tradition Bloom follows, but Zen is a philosophy, and people make their choices. It’s not like Christianity, where there are sins. It’s more like, if you do this, it’s going to up the ante on whether or not you’ll suffer…say, drinking and driving will be riskier than drinking and not driving. Buddhism deals much with suffering, and how to reach a place where you can lessen it for all sentient beings.
Oh, and a fractured neck definitely qualifies as suffering!
Comment by greenie — October 15, 2007 @ 8:08 pm
k posted - “And why do women swoon over this greaseball?”
… Yep, you sure sound fair and impartial to me …
Comment by -- Waiting on all the facts — October 15, 2007 @ 9:59 pm
I don’t like his looks…what does that have to do with anything? I’m perfectly capable of being fair, and was in the article. And I admitted that comment was my own editorial license about his looks, nothing else. It isn’t my fault you can’t see past that.
Comment by k — October 15, 2007 @ 11:58 pm
Like Orlando Bloom, dislike him,indifferent to him, no one here or elsewhere on the Internet knows exactly what happened, who thought what, who did what, except what is on the published videos. There are gaps in the coverage, and no one here saw what the eyewitnesses did. As a paralegal I’ve seen a wide variety of cases like this. Let us hope that the truth will out and we can go on to something important!
Comment by casey — October 20, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
Well, in the new post I wrote about him, apparently there are survelliance tapes that also recorded what went on that night, filling in the gaps in the pap’s coverage. The case is being turned over to the DA.
Move on to something important??? My God, do you want to put me out of a job?
(actually, impaired driving is a subject I take very seriously)
Comment by k — October 20, 2007 @ 10:06 pm
Sorry, I should have said, videos we have seen online. Frankly, out of pure curiousity, I’d like to see those surveillance tapes. I like to have all the info before I make up my mind.
Naw, wouldn’t want to put you out of a job. Then I’d have nothing to read!
And, yes, impaired driving is a very serious subject.
Comment by casey — October 20, 2007 @ 10:49 pm
I’d like to see them, too. I’m extremely curious as to what happened when he got out of the car and walked off. I’m hoping they make them public.
Comment by k — October 20, 2007 @ 10:51 pm