Sports

Calabasas High Basketball Coach in Coma After Motorcyle Crash

Joe Frazier, 28, remains in critical condition after an alleged hit-and-run collision.

Joe Frazier, a boys basketball assistant coach, is in critical condition at Northridge Hospital after suffering severe head injuries late Thursday in a motorcycle collision, according to the team's head coach.

Frazier, 28, collided with an SUV at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Wilbur Avenue in Tarzana, according to Calabasas head coach Jon Palarz, who has visited Frazier in the hospital every day since the accident. The other driver fled the scene of the accident and has yet to be identified, according to Palarz, who said Frazier has remained in a coma since the collision.

“It’s a horrible accident to even hear about, let alone someone who you work with every day,” Palarz said. “I’m devastated and angry because of the nature of what happened and the alleged hit and run. All things considered, it’s a catastrophe.”

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Frazier has been a Calabasas assistant coach for one year, and has strong ties to the basketball community by working as a private coach and also running a summer basketball camp in Pasadena.

“He is like the pied piper of basketball, a very dynamic personality who has always been enthusiastic and full of life every time he has ever walked into a gymnasium,” Palarz said. “He just has such a gift working with kids.”

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Frazier is not married. His mother lives in Pasadena and his father has flown in from Northern California, Palarz said.

“He has had family there at the hospital in the intensive care unit around the clock,” Palarz said. “We’re not trying to bombard the family, but we’re trying to give as much support as we can. It could be a long haul.”

Palarz said Frazier’s coma was not medically induced and that Frazier’s vital signs have improved, though he has yet to regain consciousness since the incident.

Palarz said Frazier has undergone brain surgery to relieve pressure on the brain.

“It’s very sad, and I’m really concerned,” Palarz said.

Los Angeles Police Department traffic detectives were unavailable for comment on Sunday. 

This is an ongoing story. We will bring you details as they develop.


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