Darryl “DMC” McDaniels walked away uninjured after his SUV collided with a garbage truck on a Los Angeles freeway.
The Run-DMC legend, 59, was involved in the wreck Friday on the 105 Freeway just east of Vermont Avenue, according to video footage from the scene. A black SUV was towed away following the crash, with visible damage to its right side.
Separate footage showed McDaniels standing beside the driver’s side door of the vehicle with it open. Whether the “King of Rock” rapper was operating the SUV at the moment of impact remains unknown.
The hip-hop pioneer rose to fame in the 1980s as one-third of Run-DMC alongside Joseph “Run” Simmons and the late Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell. The Queens, New York group shattered barriers for rap music, becoming the first hip-hop act to achieve gold, platinum and multi-platinum album status.
McDaniels has remained active in recent years, touring and making public appearances while also advocating for mental health awareness and adoption causes. He has been open about his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts during the height of Run-DMC’s fame.
The 105 Freeway, officially the Century Freeway, cuts through South Los Angeles and serves as a major east-west corridor connecting the city to LAX and surrounding communities. Friday collisions on the busy route routinely snarl traffic across the region.
California Highway Patrol records for the incident were not immediately available. No citations or charges have been publicly reported in connection with the crash.
The garbage truck operator’s condition and identity have not been disclosed. Standard protocol for commercial vehicle collisions on California freeways typically involves inspection of both vehicles and driver logs.
McDaniels has not posted about the incident on his social media accounts as of Saturday. His representatives did not issue a statement regarding the collision.
The rapper was scheduled to perform at a casino venue in the Northeast later this month.