Father of Kings Center Divac Dies in Car Crash

Tragedy struck the family of former Sacramento Kings center Vlade Divac, whose father died in a car crash in Serbia at the age of 77. Divac’s father, Milenko, was either driving or was a passenger in a vehicle that hit a light pole and rolled several times before coming to rest. Divac’s mother, Radmila, was also in the vehicle but is expected to live.

One of Sacramento’s Finest Players

Divac played center for the Sacramento Kings from 1998 to 2004 and is one of three Sacramento players to have his jersey retired and hung in the Sleep Train Arena along with Mitch Redmond’s and Chris Webber’s. Divac and Webber are considered to be the driving forces behind Sacramento basketball’s most successful seasons, including competition in the Western Conference finals in 2002 and memorable basketball seasons that gave rise to Divac’s enormous popularity.

Vlade’s parents lived in the midst of, and ironically survived, the war that tore Serbia apart during the 1990s and early 2000s. Teammates remember Vlade’s concern for his parents and how he would call them before and after games to be sure they were all right. Serbia held festivities in 2007 to honor Divac, one of its most famous sons. Divac is now the head of the Serbian Olympic Committee.

Personal Injury Cases Touch Us All

Vlade Divac, like other professional athletes who have suffered the loss of a beloved family member through a tragic accident, illustrates for us all the realities of these cases. A car accident, a slip-and-fall, or a workplace accident can strike at any time, leaving behind sorrow, pain, injury, damage and life-changing consequences. When it does, the ability of the victim or the survivors to collect damages may depend on the help of a personal injury attorney.

Every day, people are killed or injured in accidents, and only a percentage of these victims or their families every collect the full amount of monetary damages to which they are entitled. When people do die in such accidents, the families may be entitled to payment of compensation under a wrongful death lawsuit. For the victims who survive but are injured, a personal injury attorney may be able to help them recover compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other costs.