View source for Car crash of Marika Gombitová

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox historical event
|Event_Name     = Car crash of Marika Gombitová
|Image_Name     = MG Luxor 00.jpg
|Imagesize      = 254px
|Image_Alt      =
|Image_Caption  = Singer in [[Prague]], [[Czech Republic]], EU in 2016.
|Thumb_Time     = (Video thumbnail frame – see below)
|AKA            =
|Participants   = Andrea B (driver)<br />[[Marika Gombitová]]
|Location       = 43rd km of [[D1 motorway (Czech Republic)|D1 motorway]]<ref name=d1d2/> <br />near [[Podivín]], [[Břeclav District]], [[South Moravian Region]], [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|CSSR]]
|Date           = {{Start date|1980|12|01}}
|nongregorian   = Set if date is not in Gregorian calendar; may be any text value, but suggestions are: "yes", a calendar name (e.g. "Julian"), or "prehistoric".
|Deaths        =
|Result         = Driver convicted of assault causing [[bodily harm]]
|URL            =
}}
[[Marika Gombitová]] (born September 12, 1956, in [[Turany nad Ondavou]], [[Czechoslovakia]]) is a [[Slovakia|Slovak]] singer-songwriter who began her career as a female vocalist in the band [[Modus (band)|Modus]] in the late 1970s.
Besides gaining fame for her subsequent solo career, she also became known as the victim of a [[Single-vehicle crash|single-vehicle collision]] on December 1, 1980,<ref>{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|p=7.}}</ref> alleged to have been caused by [[reckless driving]] by Andrea B. Although she survived, Gombitová sustained irreparable injuries to her [[Vertebral column|backbone]] and [[spinal cord]] and, as a result, is [[paralysis|paralyzed]] from the 7th [[vertebral notch]] downwards, and was hence reliant on a wheelchair. After a six-month recovery, the [[Physical disability|physically disabled]] artist returned to the spotlight, achieving new top rankings on the music charts and even touring again.
Few details of the Gombitová's car crash and its subsequent investigation have been made public and, therefore, the circumstances of the issue remain the subject of controversy.<ref name=topky>{{cite web|url=http://www.topky.sk/cl/15/84958/Marika-Gombitova--Naozaj-sa-raz-vrati-|title=Marika Gombitová's: Will She Return Yet Indeed?|date=September 17, 2005|work=Zoznam.sk|at=topky.sk|access-date=April 5, 2011|language=sk}}</ref><ref name=hliadky>{{cite web|url=http://hliadky.sk/marika-gombitovadetaily-nehody|title=Marika Gombitová's Car Accident: Details|date=July 8, 2011|work=Police Patrols and Radars|at=hliadky.sk|publisher=Policajné hliadky a radary|access-date=April 5, 2011|language=sk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425052942/http://hliadky.sk/marika-gombitovadetaily-nehody |archive-date=April 25, 2012}}</ref>
==Crash==
{{Location map many | Czechoslovakia
| width      = 263
| float      = right
| caption    = Crash location in the former [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|Czechoslovakia]]
| alt        = Crash location in the former Czechoslovakia
| label      = Brno
| position   = right
| lat_deg = 49.2
| lon_deg = 16.62
| label2 = Bratislava
| pos2 = right
| lat2_deg = 48.14
| lon2_deg = 17.11
| mark3 = Bullseye1.png
| mark3size = 15
| lat3_deg = 48.82
| lon3_deg = 16.88
}}
===Background===
On Sunday, November 30, 1980, [[Modus (band)|Modus]] were to perform their final concert in the original [[Setup (music)|setup]], which featured [[Ján Lehotský]], [[Miroslav Žbirka]], Gombitová, [[Ladislav Lučenič]] and Dušan Hájek. The concert was planned to take place in the premises of a former club called ZK [[Revoluční odborové hnutí|ROH]] [[Zbrojovka Brno|Zbrojovka]], located in [[Brno]]-Židenice, [[Czechoslovakia]].<ref>{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|p=104.}}</ref> Gombitová had called Lehotský earlier, complaining of feeling unwell and hoping to excuse herself from the event, but in spite of this, she joined the group as scheduled.<ref name=markiza/>
According to the Slovak newspaper ''[[Nový čas]]'', which tried to reconstruct sequence of events in the new millennium, Žbirka confirmed that he had left the location in a [[Škoda 1000 MB]] along with Lučenič, and probably also with another person. Lehotský is reported to have been in his own car, accompanied by Hájek, and Gombitová was in a [[Renault 5]] owned and driven by her 21-year-old friend known as Andrea B, reportedly from [[West Germany]].<ref name=MF>''[[Mladá fronta DNES|Mladá fronta]],'' issue 1980-12-03, [[Czechoslovakia]]. Retrieved October 8, 2011</ref> The cars set out from Brno separately around midnight, taking different routes to [[Bratislava]].<ref>{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|p=105.}}</ref>
===December 1, 1980===
At approximately 1:00&nbsp;am on December 1, 1980, the automobile carrying Gombitová went into a skid at the 43rd km of the recently opened [[D1 motorway (Czech Republic)|D1 motorway]],<ref name=d1d2>Media reports name the D1. However, Podivín is not near the D1, but the [[D2 motorway (Czech Republic)|D2]].</ref> between [[Podivín]] and [[Břeclav]]. The vehicle spun around, made a few somersaults and ended up on its roof in a field. While the driver, Andrea B, was only slightly injured, the trapped artist had to be extricated from the wrecked car by the rescue crew, sustaining severe multiple injuries, including [[Spinal cord injury|spinal cord injuries]], [[rib fracture|fractured ribs]], [[sternal fracture]], broken [[Vertebral column|backbone]] and a broken [[little finger]].
Allegedly still [[Consciousness|conscious]], Gombitová was rushed to the nearest hospital in [[Hustopeče]], while Andrea B was interrogated by police patrol officers from the [[Sbor národní bezpečnosti|SNB]].<ref name=topky/><ref name=hliadky/><ref name=AHA/><ref>{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|pp=105–106.}}</ref>
===Aftermath===
[[Paralysis|Paralyzed]] from the 7th [[vertebral notch]] downwards, Gombitová lost [[Perception|function]] over two-thirds of her body,<ref>{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|p=189.}}</ref> even losing the use of the lower part of her [[lungs]]. She was diagnosed with acute [[pneumonia]] and transported to the Slovak Hospital Kramáre in her home town. After four months spent mostly at the local [[neurosurgery]] department, she was taken in April 1981 to the Rehabilitation Institute of [[Kladruby (Benešov District)|Kladruby]], now in the Czech Republic.<ref name=topky/> Her rehabilitation later continued in the German spa town [[Bad Wildungen]] and, back in Czechia, in [[Karlovy Vary]].<ref>{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|p=128.}}</ref> In 1982, Gombitová underwent major surgery in [[Moscow]], [[Russia]], but with no significant impact on her mobility.<ref name=topky/><ref>{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|pp=132–133.}}</ref>
==Trial==
The case was examined by the [[Highway patrol]] in [[Podivín]], which shredded all available files and photographs after ten years, in accordance with internal regulations.
A judicial investigation reportedly concluded that the crash was caused by Andrea B, who lost control of the car at high speed. Andrea B was, therefore, convicted of assault causing bodily harm and sentenced to prison.<ref name=topky/><ref name="GN108">{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|p=108.}}</ref> However, it is not known whether she actually went to prison, as she immediately left the country. Newspapers report that, at the court, she defended herself for exceeding the speed limit by claiming that her [[Visa (document)|visa]] was set to expire at midnight on Sunday, November 30, 1980.<ref name=topky/><ref name="GN108"/>
==Impact==
===Reactions===
The [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]] (KSČ) imposed an [[embargo]] on the case on grounds of [[national interest]]. There was a delay of two days before the public was informed of the crash in an initial report in the daily newspaper ''[[Mladá fronta DNES|Mladá fronta]]'' on December 3, 1980. The newspaper gave details confirming the critical condition of the singer and identified the driver of the vehicle as "21 years old Andrea B from West Germany",<ref name=MF/> who would not adapt her speed to the snowy road surface.<ref name=MF/> The article also reported that the Brno police had launched a prosecution against the "foreign citizen".<ref name=MF/><ref>{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|pp=103–104.}}</ref>
As all official reports had been discarded in the meantime, later mass media speculated that the crash could have been caused by [[reckless driving]], drunk driving, or both.<ref name=topky/> Although [[personally identifiable information]] related to Andrea B remains undisclosed, ''Nový čas'' described the driver as an attractive blonde, possibly working in the fashion industry, and said they could not guess where she had disappeared to.<ref name="GN108"/> The Czech authors of Gombitová's 2008 biography, however, described Andrea B as "a receptionist at a luxury hotel, to which Gombitová was reportedly invited through the [art agency] Slovkoncert".<ref name="GN108"/> Other sources, such as Modus band's [[sound engineer]] Andrej Andrašovan, referred to the Renault's driver as a [[native-born citizen]] of Switzerland whose car had a German registration plate.<ref name=topky/><ref name=AHA>{{cite web|url=http://www.ahaonline.cz/clanek/zhave-drby/29750/marika-gombitova-pravda-o-bouracce-ktera-ji-upoutala-na-vozik-stenala-ve-vraku-a-pratele-nepomohli-proc.html|title=Marika Gombitová: The Truth About The Accident That Tied Her To A Wheelchair|date=November 2, 2008|work=Aha!|at=ahaonline.cz|publisher=Ringier Axel Springer CZ|access-date=April 5, 2011|language=cs}}</ref> On the other hand, Milan Drobný, a fellow Czech singer, referred to Andrea B as "that Austrian or German."<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.cas.sk/clanok/91958/gombitova-poslednym-milencom-pred-nehodou-bol-milan-drobny.html|title=Gombitová: Her Last Lover Before Accident Was Milan Drobný|date=October 14, 2008|work=[[Nový čas]]|at=cas.sk|publisher=[[Ringier|Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia]]|access-date=October 7, 2011|language=cs}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Graclík|Nekvapil|2008|p=96.}}</ref>
[[File:Jarmila Lajčáková-Hargašová - 1.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Hargašová ran the talk show between the years 2000–2002.]]
===''Nočné lampy'' interview===
In December 2000, Gombitová unexpectedly appeared in ''Nočné lampy'' ("Night Lamps"), a former late night talk show produced by [[Central European Media Enterprises|CEM]] network [[Markíza]]. The {{nowrap|40-minute}} television program, hosted by Jarmila Hargašová ''(pictured right)'', invited celebrity guests who had been involved in extraordinary situations. Gombitová probably agreed to appear on the show because of the positive reception for her new song "Prosba" ("Appeal"), which had been preceded by a six-year absence. For the first time in twenty years since her crash, the singer talked about her life openly in front of television cameras. Her crucial collaborators were also present at the interview, such as Modus ex-members Lehotský and Žbirka, and her past songwriters Kamil Peteraj, [[Pavol Hammel]] and [[Marián Varga]].
After a {{nowrap|15-minute}} introduction, during which Gombitová discussed her temporary comeback and rise to prominence, the conversation turned to her crash. When finally asked to recall that date, she responded with:
{{blockquote|I remember that day, even though it makes me sad thinking of it or when I'm questioned about it. I remember that night, well, that afternoon when I called Janko [Lehotský], I mean by phone, that I didn't feel well and [I] didn't want to go to the concert, if there's something [he] could do about it. Of course there wasn't, there was a concert in Brno, so we went. It was very bad weather, I can remember that. But after the concert, there was so much sadness in the dressing room, because then, well, Meky [Žbirka] announced, I mean, that he's done with Janko and is leaving with Laco [Lučenič] to make a solo band. And I, actually, didn't know who I belonged to. It was a very sad moment&nbsp;... point in time. Well then, Janko didn't make a comment on anything and I, I didn't know, I mean, whether I'm staying with Janko or whom in fact. And that's how we actually split up, said good-byes and went home. And well then, what happened just happened. That's how I recall it. I don't know, guys, if they want to have their say. I see it like this.<ref name=markiza>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbFYbkFkC3w|title=(TV) ''Nočné lampy''|work=[[Markíza]]|at=markiza.sk|publisher=YouTube|date=November 2000|access-date=2011-10-07|language=sk}}</ref>}}
Lehotský did not comment on it. Žbirka confirmed that the weather was bad that day and highlighted the band's sense of professional responsibility to perform that evening. He eventually added "that highway had in fact been impassable."<ref name=markiza/> During the rest of the interview, Gombitová talked about the subsequent events that led to her hospitalization, rather than reconstructing the incident itself. Neither Andrea B nor the relationship between them was mentioned in any way in the publicly released version of the pre-filmed show.<ref name=markiza/> Hargašová said that she had visited Gombitová at home to discuss various topics in advance twice: the first time about one year before the talk show,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kultura.pravda.sk/hargasova-zeny-dokazu-skor-pohnut-hosti-k-spovedi-fss-/sk_kfilm.asp?c=A091127_123152_sk_kfilm_p46|title=Hargašová: Women Can Better Move Guests To Confession|date=November 22, 2009|first=Zuzana|last=Kizáková|work=[[Pravda (Slovakia)|Pravda]]|at=kultura.pravda.sk|publisher=[[Northcliffe International]]|access-date=October 7, 2011|language=sk}}</ref> and the second time one day prior to that. In an interview published in ''[[SME (newspaper)|SME]]'' on May 18, 2001, host admitted that, shortly before filming the TV show, Gombitová asked her not to go public about the subjects they discussed in advance in private.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://korzar.sme.sk/c/4697328/jarka-hargasova-v-nocnych-lampach-provokuje-nikdy-nevypovedane-veci.html|title=Jarka Hargašová Teases Ever Unold Affairs In Night Lamps|date=May 18, 2001|first=Miloslava|last=Hriadelová|work=[[SME (newspaper)|SME]]|at=korzar.sme.sk|publisher=[[SME (newspaper)|Petit Press]]|access-date=October 7, 2011|language=sk}}</ref>
{{external media
| float  = right
| width  = 19.3em
| video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw9bVQKw81o '''Marika Gombitová – ''Nočné lampy''''']
}}
==See also==
* [[List of road accidents|List of traffic collisions (1700–1999)]]
* [[List of awards and nominations received by Marika Gombitová]]
* [[Marika Gombitová discography]]
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==Bibliography==
*{{Cite book|last1=Graclík|first1=Miroslav|last2=Nekvapil|first2=Václav|title=Marika Gombitová: neautorizovaný životní příběh legendy československé pop music|trans-title=Marika Gombitová: An Unauthorized Life Story of the Legend of Czechoslovak Pop Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0oTLPgAACAAJ&q=marika+gombitova|publisher =XYZ|year=2008|isbn=978-80-7388-115-3|page=446|oclc=294939865|location=[[Prague]], [[Czech Republic]]|access-date=March 21, 2011|language=cs}}
*{{cite book|url=http://www.koloseumforum.com/gombitova.com2/separation/SvokMG.pdf|title=Slovak Popular Music in the Years 1977–1989 – Marika Gombitová|first=Oskar|last=Lehotský|work=[[Comenius University in Bratislava|Comenius University, Faculty of Arts]]|location=[[Bratislava]], [[Slovakia]]|date=April 23, 2008a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714140517/http://www.koloseumforum.com/gombitova.com2/separation/SvokMG.pdf|archive-date=July 14, 2014|access-date=April 7, 2011|language=sk}}
*{{cite book|url=http://lehotsky-modus.szm.com/modusstudia.pdf|title=Slovak Popular Music in the Years 1977–1989 – Modus|first=Oskar|last=Lehotský|work=Comenius University, Faculty of Arts|location=Bratislava, Slovakia|date=April 23, 2008b|access-date=April 7, 2011|language=sk|archive-date=August 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819231336/http://lehotsky-modus.szm.com/modusstudia.pdf|url-status=dead}}
==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KejYPgAACAAJ&q=marika+gombitova|title=Marika Gombitová: Neautorizovaný životný príbeh legendy česko-slovenskej pop music|last1=Graclík|first1=Miroslav|last2=Nekvapil|first2=Václav|work=XYZ|location=[[Bratislava]], [[Slovakia]]|page=446|isbn=978-80-7388-120-7|year=2008|oclc=298779121|edition=1st|access-date=December 17, 2011|language=sk|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uEsUAQAAIAAJ&q=jiri+vejvoda+narok|title=Nárok na ro(c)k: Dvacet vyznání československých pop/rockových hvězd|last=Vejvoda|first=Jiří|publisher=[[Supraphon]]|location=Prague, Czech Republic|oclc=38721273|page=230|isbn=978-80-7058-222-0|year=1990|edition=1st|access-date=December 17, 2011|language=cs}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2cJ8AAAAMAAJ&q=miroslav+zajic+inventura|title=Inventura aneb Dvacet let fotoreportérem Mladého světa|last=Zajíc|first=Miroslav|oclc=24669912|work=[[Mladá fronta DNES|Mladá fronta]]|publisher=[[MAFRA]]|location=Prague, Czech Republic|page=255|isbn=978-80-204-0123-6|year=1989|edition=1st|access-date=December 17, 2011|language=cs}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SMRpQgAACAAJ&q=jan+kamenisty|title=Ako kopú múzy: Rozhovory s umelcami|last=Kamenistý|first=Ján|work=Smena|series=Edícia Orientácia|location=Bratislava, Slovakia|page=263|isbn=978-80-221-0036-6|year=1990|oclc=23772235|edition=1st|access-date=December 17, 2011|language=cs, sk}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YGNpQgAACAAJ&q=%22encyklopedie+jazzu+a+moderni%22|title=Encyklopedie jazzu a moderní populární hudby|last1=Matzner|first1=Antonín|last2=Poledňák|first2=Ivan|last3=Wasserberger|first3=Igor|work=[[Supraphon|Editio Supraphon]]|publisher=Supraphon|location=Prague, Czech Republic|oclc=7579266|page=649|isbn=978-80-7058-210-7|year=1990|edition=1st|access-date=December 17, 2011|language=cs}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qNdCAAAACAAJ&q=meky+kollar|author-link=Miroslav Žbirka|title=Meky|last1=Žbirka|first1=Miroslav|last2=Kollár|first2=Jozef|publisher=IKAR|location=Bratislava, Slovakia|page=165|isbn=978-80-249-0134-3|year=2002|oclc=53266790|edition=1st|access-date=December 17, 2011|language=cs, sk}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e2WIAAAACAAJ&q=klec+na+slaviky|title=Klec na slavíky: O zpívání do zlata i do bláta – Zlatý (Český) slavík 1962–2002|last1=Krůta|first1=Jan|last2=Hucek|first2=Miroslav|last3=Zajíc|first3=Miroslav|publisher=Epocha|location=Prague, Czech Republic|page=360|isbn=978-80-86328-27-0|year=2003|oclc=56872847|edition=1st|access-date=December 17, 2011|language=cs}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkhjSgAACAAJ&q=V%C5%A1eobecn%C3%BD+encyklopedick%C3%BD+slovn%C3%ADk:+G+-+L|title=Všeobecný encyklopedický slovník: G – L|last=Paulička|first=Ivan|work=Cesty|publisher=Ottovo nakladatelství|location=Prague, Czech Republic|page=943|isbn=978-80-7181-659-1|year=2002|oclc=51189343|edition=2nd|access-date=December 17, 2011|language=cs}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.marikagombitovaofficial.com/biografia.html}}
*{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p1008830|label=Marika Gombitová}}
*[http://www.discogs.com/artist/Marika+Gombitová Marika Gombitová] on [[Discogs]]
*{{IMDb name|0326817|name=Marika Gombitová}}
{{Marika Gombitová}}
{{Marika Gombitová singles}}
{{coord|48|49|12|N|16|52|56|E|display=title}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gombitova, Marika, Car Accident Of}}
[[Category:Marika Gombitová|Car Accident]]
[[Category:1980 in music]]
[[Category:1980 in Czechoslovakia]]
[[Category:1980 road incidents]]
[[Category:Crime in Czechoslovakia]]
[[Category:Czechoslovak victims of crime]]
[[Category:Road incidents in the Czech Republic]]