Clarke Carlisle lorry accident: Star charged with drink-drive offence hours before being hit by truck

Posted Tuesday, December 30, 2014 by Mirror.co.uk

Clarke Carlisle lorry accident: Star charged with drink-drive offence hours before being hit by truck
Clarke Carlisle at the Beyond Football conference at the Emirates Stadium

Ex-footballer Clarke Carlisle was charged with a drink-drive offence hours before he was hit by a lorry, it emerged last night.

Carlisle, 35, was pulled over by police in London on December 20 but refused to give officers a breath sample.

The ex-QPR, Burnley and Leeds defender , who has suffered drink problems and depression in the past, was charged and released on bail.

Less than 36 hours later he was hit by a lorry near his Yorkshire home while walking along a dual carriageway in the dark.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told the Mirror: "Clarke Carlisle, 35, was charged on Saturday, 20 December with failing to provide a specimen and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

"He is due to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on 20 January 2015."

Clarke is in hospital with broken ribs and cuts and bruises.

He is in a serious but stable condition.

Wife Gemma, 33, who was at his bedside, said: "Clarke's still very poorly but we're hopeful he'll make a full recovery."

Clarke Carlisle lorry accident: Star charged with drink-drive offence hours before being hit by truck
Burnley fans applaud for a minute for former Burnley player Clarke Carlisle

And former England star Kenny Sansom urged football to rally round Clarke.

He told The Sun: "He has always been there for me.

"I know what Clarke is going through at the moment and just how he is feeling.

"People shouldn't kick him when he's down.

"It's not for others to judge him because they don't understand the battles he’s facing."

As a sign of the support, Burnley fans clapped in the fifth minute of their Boxing Day clash with Liverpool - as it correlates with the squad number the 35-year-old wore at Turf Moor.

Several of his other former clubs, team-mates and opponents have also taken to social media to send their wishes to Carlisle.