Actor and comedian Kevin Hart was involved in a serious car crash near his home in Calabasas, California. According to an incident report filed by the California Highway Patrol, Hart and two other individuals were involved in a car crash after the driver lost control of Hart’s 1970 Hellcat-swapped Plymouth Barracuda — the same one he bought last July for his 40th birthday — forcing it off the road and into a gully about 10 feet off the road. Hart and the driver, identified as Jared Black, reportedly both suffered “major back injuries,” while the third individual, identified as Rachel Broxterman, did not suffer any injuries. The story remains in flux as we speak so expect more updates regarding details about the crash, and, more importantly, the condition of both Hart and Black. As far as the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda goes, it’s a total wreck. There’s no saving that one.
In what could’ve been a scary scene, it’s a huge sigh of relief that Kevin Hart and his two colleagues managed to escape with their lives after what looks like a really bad car crash. It remains unclear what exactly caused Jared Black, the man who was driving Hart’s 1970 Hellcat-swapped Plymouth Barracuda, to lose control of the muscle car, but authorities have determined that Black wasn’t under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. We don’t know if he was speeding, though it would be improper to allege he was, given the information that’s currently available.
What we do know is that something caused Black to lose control of the Barracuda for the car to end up in a gully with its roof caved in from the impact of the crash. According to TMZ, police found Black and Broxterman pinned in their seats under the crashed roof. Hart was able to get out of the vehicle, and according to witnesses, a member of his security team drove up in an SUV, picked him up, and brought him home to “get medical attention.”
Eventually, the fire department managed to free Black and Broxterman from the car after sawing off the roof of the Barracuda. Hart and Black reportedly suffered “major back” injuries, though Hart’s wife told TMZ that the comedian was “going to be just fine.” Meanwhile, Black was airlifted from the scene of the crash to the UCLA Medical Center while Broxterman did not sustain any injuries. Updates on Black’s condition since he was taken to UCLA Medical Center have not been disclosed.
As horrific as the accident was, it is comforting to know that none of those involved lost their lives as a result of the crash. It’s a miracle, if you think about it in those terms, especially with the state of the Plymouth Barracuda after it was lifted up from the embankment. It’s safe to say that there’s no restoring this Barracuda, not in the condition it’s in. It’s a shame, too. Hart only introduced it to the world in July as a 40th birthday present for himself and it barely lasted two months under his ownership. Mind you, this isn’t your typical restomodded Barracuda.
It looks the part of the 1970s classic muscle car, but underneath that long and stretched out hood is a $15,000 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat SRT HEMI V-8 crate engine that came with all the cursory modifications to the modern V-8, all of which were handled by HP Tuners. It’s unclear how fast Hart’s 1970 Barracuda could go, but based on the power figures of the Hemi V-8 — 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque — and the fact that all that power goes to the rear wheels, it’s not a stretch to think that this muscle car could go from 0 to 60 mph in around three seconds with a top speed of over 200 mph.
None of that matters now, though. Hart’s 1970 Hemi-powered Plymouth Barracuda is a wreck on a wreck. Fortunately, he and his two colleagues are alive to tell all of us exactly what happened.
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Kevin Hart Has a Hellcat-Swapped and Tuned 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and It's What Dreams are Made of
Read our full review on the 1964-1974 Plymouth Barracuda.