Seattle Sonics’ Top Scorer Dale Ellis Hurt in Crash

Dale Ellis of the Seattle SuperSonics suffered a collapsed lung in a traffic accident early today and will be out of action indefinitely, the team said.

Ellis, 29, was the only person injured when his 1989 Mercedes crashed on an on-ramp to Interstate 5’s northbound lanes in downtown Seattle about 2 a.m.

He was in satisfactory condition today at Harborview Medical Center, where his injuries were being evaluated further, hospital spokeswoman Pam Round said.

Ellis’ car struck a barrier in a “Y” that splits the road to either I-5’s regular lanes or express lanes, then careened across a lane and struck the movable arm that controls access to the express lanes, said Trooper Cadet Dan Johnson of the Washington State Patrol.

The state patrol accident report indicated that in addition to the collapsed lung, Ellis suffered numerous scratches and back pain, Johnson said. Damage to his car was estimated at $20,000.

Ellis, the team’s leading scorer this season, hit 29 points Thursday in the Sonics’ 98-87 victory over Dallas at the Seattle Coliseum.

Team spokesman Bill Boehlke said Ellis would be out of action indefinitely. The team said Ellis had suffered two broken ribs, but Round said that had not been confirmed.

Ellis lives in Bellevue, a Seattle suburb.