Hulk Hogan's Son's Crash Remains One of the Family’s Most Serious Controversies
The victim survived but continues to rely on full-time care after the high-profile 2007 crash.
Published April 22 2026, 1:57 p.m. ET
Thanks to his massively popular father, Nick Hogan grew up in front of the world. He is the son of wrestling icon Hulk Hogan and reality TV personality Linda Hogan. Fans first met him as a teenager on VH1’s Hogan Knows Best. But the family’s fame has always come with a bit of controversy.
Over the years, they have faced a plethora of issues, from Hulk’s legal battles and leaked tape scandal to a messy divorce that played out in public.
Nick’s 2007 crash did not just shock fans. However, it did become one of the most serious and life-altering incidents tied to the family’s name. The crash triggered years of legal fallout and drama that still follow him today.
Hulk Hogan's son Nick was involved in a very serious car crash.
According to Reuters, Nick was driving a yellow Toyota Supra and, according to witnesses, was racing another car on wet roads. Police said the Supra fishtailed, crossed lanes, hit the median, and slammed into a palm tree. Investigators concluded that Nick drove recklessly and caused serious bodily injury to his passenger, John Graziano.
The victim in that crash was John, then 22, a Marine and Iraq veteran who was riding in the passenger seat. A year after the crash, he remained in a semiconscious state after suffering severe head injuries. In 2023, his mother, Debra Graziano, told CourtTV that John was aware of his surroundings but still could not speak, walk, or eat on his own. After Nick’s later DUI arrest, she said the new case showed “a complete lack of respect” for what reckless driving did to her son.
“I think it’s a complete lack of respect for what his reckless driving did to my son. It shows me how life goes on as if nothing happened for him. I can only pray that before it’s too late, he turns his own life around,” she wrote.
The 2007 crash did not lead to a DUI conviction. Prosecutors charged the case as reckless driving with serious bodily harm. In May 2008, Nick pleaded no contest. Pinellas County Judge Phillip Federico sentenced him to eight months in jail, five years of probation, 500 hours of community service, and a three-year license suspension.
Nick was later arrested for a separate DUI incident.
The separate DUI case came years later in the same Florida city. Clearwater police arrested Nick again in the early morning hours of Nov. 18, 2023. According to a police report obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, he sped past an active traffic stop, failed to move over, showed signs of impairment, and performed poorly on field sobriety tests.
According to WPXI, Nick pleaded guilty in June 2024 to DUI and violating Florida’s Move Over law. That plea did not send him back to jail, but it did bring another sentence. A judge suspended his license for one year, placed him on 12 months of probation, ordered 100 hours of community service, required him to complete a DUI course, and fined him. At sentencing, he apologized and said, “I never wanted to be in this position again.”