Tragedy! Doris Day's Car Crash Horror After Son's Death

Beloved actress Doris Day has become reclusive after losing her only son and experiencing the fallout of a car wreck! RadarOnline.com can now reveal the disturbing details of the collision that happened near her Carmel, Calif., home.

The Pillow Talk star, who is turning 92 on April 3, fortunately wasn't physically part of the accident. However, insiders said it sparked an emotional downward spiral that has darkened the Hollywood legend's days.

The actress' son, musician Terry Melcher, died on Nov. 19, 2004, after losing his battle with melanoma. He was 62. And Day's situation went from bad to worse just 11 days later when a crash occurred near her property.

On Nov. 30, 2004, a truck delivering gardening goods to Day backed up and possibly caused another driver to be rear-ended.

The driver, Marcy Rustad, stopped after flagmen directed her to do so, but the car behind her wasn't as quick to hit the brakes and ultimately rear-ended her.

After the crash, Rustard sustained substantial injuries that required medical attention and left her unable to work, she claimed, so she took Day to court.

"Doris was mourning her son, had an agonizing Thanksgiving without him, then a woman gets injured … she clearly had nothing to do with this, but was on the hook for a settlement because the workers and landscapers were under her direction. That was when she started to become reclusive," a friend exclusively told Radar.

Since the 2004 incident, Day has rarely been seen in public.

"There has been a lot of heartache in Doris' life," the insider added. "It's a shame."