By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
LARGO — A dump truck crashed into a car early Tuesday, sending two men to the hospital, including Michael Edward Graziano, whose brother John suffered severe brain damage in 2007 while riding in a car with Nick Bollea, son of wrestling star Hulk Hogan.
Graziano, 23, was riding in a 1994 Volvo with Cameron Richard Bosley, 24, just before 3 a.m. near Ulmerton Road and 66th Street when the car attempted to pass a dump truck westbound in the center lane, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The car didn't have enough clearance and the two vehicles collided, officials said. The car hit the rear of the truck. Both vehicles came to rest in the intersection, blocking several lanes of traffic until 4:30 a.m.
Graziano and Bosley, both of Dunedin, were rushed to Bayfront Medical Center.
Graziano's injuries were described as critical, Boseley's serious, said hospital spokeswoman Emily Nipps.
"It is time for prayer," said Debra Graziano, John and Michael's mother, in a statement. "The family is just begging for prayers for Michael and to keep them healing."
State troopers said neither man was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.
The driver of the dump truck, Steven Edward Brady, 57, of Lakeland, was unharmed.
An investigation remained under way Tuesday morning.
Michael's brother John Graziano suffered a broken skull in 2007 when 17-year-old Nick Bollea lost control of his Toyota Supra near downtown Clearwater, crashing into a palm tree.
Graziano, an Iraq War veteran, was hospitalized for two years at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa. He was discharged in 2009 and remains in a minimally conscious state.
The family's civil suit against the Bolleas was settled in 2010 for an undisclosed sum.
John's and Michael's father, Edward Graziano, was sentenced last year to 10 years in prison for plotting to kill his wife, Debra..
Debra Graziano filed for divorce before the sentencing. They also have a daughter, Christin Carson.