USC’s Oliver Injured in Accident

USC football players Jason Oliver and Errol Small, along with a former player, Michael Jones, were involved in an auto accident early Monday on the 101 Freeway near Calabasas. Oliver and Jones were hospitalized. Small was not injured.

Oliver underwent surgery Monday to repair an injured hand; he also suffered a broken sternum and a cardiac bruise. Jones suffered a broken arm. Both were listed in guarded condition Monday at West Hills Regional Medical Center in West Hills.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the accident occurred after a nearby car’s axle broke, causing it to swerve into the players’ car, which rolled over. The players’ car rolled off the freeway, landing upside down in a drainage canal, where it slid about 300 feet on its roof. No citation was issued.

Oliver was a cornerback last season and Small was a linebacker/special teams player. Jones was a fullback in 1992.