David Foster: Off the Record - Ben Vereen Excerpt

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In this excerpt from the Netflix documentary "David Foster: Off the Record," music producer David Foster describes events leading up to the 1992 car accident in which he hit actor Ben Vereen.

Video Transcript

DAVID FOSTER: For the most part, my life has been going 100 miles an hour. But then there's those things that happen to you, the unexpected, that just bring you to your knees and bring you to a full stop halt.

[INTENSE MUSIC]

I was in the studio in Hollywood with Michael Bolton. He kept pushing, said, let's stay later, later, later. I really wanted to leave at midnight. But I ended up staying till 2 o'clock.

I was living in Malibu. Driving home. It was a beautiful summer night. I'm coming up on the top of this hill. Now, it's at 2:30 in the morning. And there's this thing in the middle of the road--

[ENGINE REVVING]

--arms up like this.

[ENGINE REVVING]

It takes a second to process that it's somebody in the middle of the road. It takes another second to think, I've got to brake. And by the third second--

[CRASHING]

[PANTING]

Then it was just dead silence. I dialed 9-1-1.

- 9-1-1 where's your emergency?

DAVID FOSTER: I've just killed somebody. I just-- I think-- I think I've just kill-- I've just killed somebody. You got to get here right away.

(ON RECORDING) Yeah, I'm driving on a PCH section. I just hit a person. I think I just killed a person.

- (ON RECORDING) OK, I'm sending help to you, sir. OK, where are you?

DAVID FOSTER: (ON RECORDING) Right near Sycamore. You gotta come. Please.

- [INAUDIBLE] OK? I'm gonna stay on the phone with you, all right?

DAVID FOSTER: (ON RECORDING) OK, but you get to get here right-- you got to get here fast. Please, hurry.

I ran down the road. This body was in a fetal position. And there was blood everywhere, out of the ears, out of the nose, out of the mouth. I just destroyed his body.

All of a sudden, I saw, like, his hand just move slightly. And I thought, oh, my god. He's still alive.

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

[SIRENS]

Ambulances are on their way. The helicopter lands. All hell is breaking loose.

[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]

They get out the body bag because they think the guy's dead.

[SIRENS, RADIO CHATTER]

Now it's 5 o'clock in the morning. He must have had some ID on him. And then they said, you know who that was that you hit, right? That was Ben Vereen.