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| by kenn on 3/21/2004 02:04:00 PM |
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A Different View
 It's the violent car accident that's become a smashing hit. Rapper Kanye West has turned his near fatal 2002 accident in Beverly Hills into solid gold, a Top Five single and album. He even uses images from the accident in his music video.
But now, for the first time, the other driver of the violent crash is speaking out, and he tells us that he's the real victim.
Miguel Villasana does not lead the same lifestyle as West. He is a working man, supervising a crew of janitors at a Los Angeles high rise. He says the accident left him with a totaled car, a broken pelvis, two broken legs, broken knees and a shattered ankle that required 16 screws to fix.
Villasana still gets emotional when talking about the accident. He now walks with a limp, and tells us he was out of work for a year and was scared he wouldn't be able to provide for his wife and three children.
"It's hard; while you're suffering, other people are happy. That's life," he says. "It's been hard for me and my family."
The accident was also hard for West -- who had his jaw wired shut. Last fall, he told "CJ" his version of how the accident happened: "I got cut off and I had a head-on collision and I looked in the rear view and I could see my mouth separated."
West's explanation makes Villasana's lawyer, Paul Fegen, very angry. And here's why: in the police report taken the night of the accident, West is quoted as saying that he wasn't drinking and that he just fell asleep.
Two months later, West changed his story when he wrote to police saying the accident really happened because Villasana cut him off. Fegen has filed this lawsuit against West, demanding the rapper pay Villasana's substantial hospital bills.
So did West ever try to contact Villasana? According to Fegen, "Not one call, not one letter, not even flowers when Mr. Villasana was in the hospital for a few weeks -- he just didn't care."
You'd think Villasana would be upset watching West's video on TV, hearing his song on the radio, perhaps feeling that West was profiting from his pain. But Villasana insists he just wants his bills paid and to be able to walk without pain.
"I just feel sad for all the things around me," he tells us. "But I'm going to be ok."
If the case goes to court, Villasana's attorney says it's possible that he would use the lyrics of West's hit song as evidence against him.
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