Son In Coma, Father Says Hulk Hogan|Shares Blame For Accident

CLEARWATER, FLA. (CN) - Pro wrestler Hulk Hogan and his estranged wife have been sued in state court, accused of negligence for their role in a near-fatal car accident last summer. Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, and his wife, Linda Bollea, were sued by the guardian of Iraq War veteran John Graziano, who has been in a coma since the Aug. 26 accident.

In his claim in Pinellas County Court, guardian Peter Musante accused the Bolleas of contributing to the negligence of their son Nicholas, who was behind the wheel of a 1998 Toyota Supra when it slammed into a palm tree during an alleged street racing incident.

Musante claims the Bolleas were aware of their son's history of reckless driving. In one incident, Hogan allegedly was a passenger when his son was stopped twice within half an hour by different Florida Highway Patrol officers for driving over 100 mph on "Alligator Alley," a four-lane highway bisecting the state east to west.

Musante also claims that Linda Bollea, speaking about street racing in Nicholas Bollea's presence, said, "I love it. I love it. The rush, the speed on the road, stereo blasting, heart pounding, racing in between all the cars, dodging the cops. It's awesome."

Both parents allegedly were aware that Nicholas Bollea practiced "drifting," putting his car into high-speed controlled slides, on public roads in Clearwater. Bollea, a licensed "drifting" race car driver, also has a litany of high-speed traffic tickets.

On the day in question, Hogan allegedly knew that his son had been drinking on Hogan's boat with Graziano. The suit claims that Bollea was drunk when he began racing another car, a 2003 Dodge Viper owned by Hogan and driven by family friend Daniel Jacobs. As the cars raced down a small hill, Bollea lost control and hit a stout palm tree, destroying his Supra and putting Graziano in the hospital. Nicholas Bollea suffered minor injuries.

Jacobs is also named as a defendant, as is minor Nicholas Bollea. The suit seeks unspecified damages.

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