River Ceballos Recovering From Serious Car Accident: 'I Thought I Was Going to Die'
May 22 2018, Published 5:18 p.m. ET
Someone was looking over River Ceballos when he got into a horrific car accident. Teen Mom OG star Tyler Baltierra's good friend exclusively revealed to RadarOnline.com that he's expected to make a full recovery after the serious crash.
"Shawn Mendes invited me to this special event hosted by Apple Music & it was amazing," Ceballos explained. "I got in free and got to hang with him a bit before rehearsals. He got special guest, John Mayer, to show up. They performed his new song that dropped today. Hailey Baldwin showed a minute before doors closed and sat next to me in the crowd."
When the actor drove from the May 17 show, which ran two hours late, at 1a.m., a car hit him and he spun out into oncoming traffic.
"I got hit twice before being slammed into the divider that prevents you from going over the cliff," he explained. "It was a hit and run. I was taken immediately to a hospital in Bakersfield, California. My car is totaled."
The Proud2Be writer suffered a fractured shoulder, hematoma and bruised ribs from the accident. Fortunately, he is expected to make a full recovery. He told RadarOnline.com he did not get air lifted into the hospital or fall into a coma as fans suspected.
"I'm recovering," the model said. "I'm still shaken up, but I'm alive, blessed and lucky! Everyone on scene who witnessed it said they thought I was a dead man for sure so I'm thanking God. It was singlehandedly the scariest moment of my Life. I honestly thought I was going to die."
Although Mendes has received backlash from the crash because the show ran late, Ceballos insisted the singer is not to blame for the accident.
"I'm not mad at him," he said. "Accidents happen. It could've happened to absolutely anyone. I hope that people can stop blaming him because it simply isn't fair. He had absolutely nothing to do with my accident."
He added, "The paramedics said that when I arrived at the hospital after I blacked out, my hand was in the pocket of my joggers and I was clutching Shawn's guitar pick that he gave me, which again goes to show how much I appreciate him and why we are connected in the first place. Getting invited for free to his show lifted my spirits so much and I would do it all over again if I could. It was a magical night."
Fans of Ceballos expressed their joy over his recovery on Twitter.
"Prayers for @RiverC_Official after he was involved in a horrible near fatal accident after he left the @ShawnMenedes concert. I love them both so much and am a huge fan. Praying for a fast recovering," one fan said, as a second wrote, "Watched @RiverC_Official video about getting into a car accident after the Shawn Mendes Apple Music event. Glad he's ok, praying for a speedy recovery."
Stay with RadarOnline.com for more updates.
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