Smash pro CharlieDaKing wrecks car on his way to Ultimate major

For all intents and purposes, Mainstage 2021 was an incredible time for the Smash Ultimate community, with an amazing tournament that saw Leonardo "MkLeo" López topple Edgar "Sparg0" Valdez to seal his win thanks to an unforgettable clutch comeback in grand finals.

Sadly, for Charlie "CharlieDaKing" Haruno, it was just the start of a nightmare scenario after an accident on his way to the venue in Ontario, California left his car totally wrecked without an insurance policy to cover the costs.

The North American player, who is widely regarded as one of the best Wolfs in the world, shared via social media that he had to DQ from Mainstage following the accident, responding to PGStat's Twitter account with a photo of his crashed vehicle.

Charlie would later tweet out a GoFundMe link explaining his dire situation, as his insurance company doesn't cover car accidents since he obtained it before the vehicle.

My insurance isn't covering the cost of my vehicle. I naively assumed it was already in my policy but because I obtained my insurance *before* owning a vehicle I never added personal car coverage. That vehicle was my pride and joy and I've lost it completely. It's a catastrophe pic.twitter.com/f81uIK6MJs

— Charliedaking🌙 (@CharlieHaruno) November 15, 2021

On the fundraising page, Charlie explained in detail how the accident had occurred, mentioning that an SUV suddenly hitting the brakes while on a freeway caused him and his friend, Jordan, to crash. 

"The lane had been moving smoothly at around 50 mph with no stops for the duration of my time in it and we were travelling a good distance away from the SUV. The SUV suddenly slammed on their breaks extremely hard and I reacted as quick as I could. I slammed on my brakes and tried to veer to the right but the shoulder was blocked by a barricade. I ended up hitting the barricade and then collided with the SUV."

Despite the car being totally wrecked, luckily both Charlie and his passenger were unharmed beyond "some neck and back pain." The people driving the SUV were also free of any major injuries.

Initially, CDK's GoFundMe was set to 12,000 USD, however, upon further assessment, the Smash player decided to withdraw the campaign when it reached 5,000 USD. The money combined from the fundraiser, alongside Twitch donations and Metafy lesson bookings, a platform in which pros can lend their services for classes, was enough for him to cover the costs of a new vehicle.

"After my mechanic took a closer look at the damage done I was told that the vehicle is irreparable. Thank you again for the overwhelming support. I'll update you all when the car is finally replaced. Thank you and much love."

• Read more: Smash pro drops controller in toilet moments before major semi-final
  

Featured image courtesy of CharlieDaKing/BeyondTheSummit.