‘Walk the Line’ star Joaquin Phoenix flips car

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Walk the Line” star and presumed
Oscar contender Joaquin Phoenix walked away a bit shaken but
otherwise unhurt when the automobile he was driving rolled over
in the Hollywood Hills, police said on Friday.

The 31-year-old actor told police the crash occurred when
his brakes failed as he was driving along a winding stretch of
Lookout Mountain Road shortly before 3 p.m. Pacific time on
Thursday, said Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Martha
Garcia.

The performer’s car overturned on a hillside and collided
with another vehicle, but neither driver was injured in the
wreck, Garcia said.

A police officer who arrived on the scene found no evidence
of alcohol, drugs or criminal negligence involved, so the crash
will be left to the insurance companies to investigate.

“The officer helped (Phoenix) exchange information with the
other party, and that was the end of it,” Garcia said.

Phoenix won a Golden Globe Award and is favored to capture
an Oscar nomination next week for his role as country music
star Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line,” co-starring Reese
Witherspoon. He also has been nominated by the Screen Actors
Guild, which presents its annual film awards on Sunday.

The actor’s spokeswoman, Susan Patricola, was quoted by Us
Weekly magazine on its Web site as saying Phoenix was “doing
fine” after the accident but “may be very sore in the morning.”
She said he still planned to attend the SAG Awards.

Other films Phoenix has appeared in include “Gladiator,”
“The Yards” and “Quills.” He is the younger brother of actor
River Phoenix, who died of a drug overdose at age 23 in 1993.