Multimillionaire Gym Mogul Crashes Lamborghini Murciélago, Kills Uber Driver
Fitness magnate, twice previously arrested for DUI, was speeding and had been drinking before the wreck.
J. Gerald Smith, an 82-year old Uber driver, died this week after a yellow Lamborghini Murciélago struck his Buick Enclave, which was sitting at a stop sign. The fatal crash occurred in downtown Delray Beach, Florida. Roger Wittenberns, the 60-year old multimillionaire health club mogul, was behind the wheel of the Murciélago at the time of the wreck.
His girlfriend, Patty Ann McQuiggin, 61, who was following in her matching yellow Porsche 911 Carrera cabriolet, fled the scene and parked her car, but was found later by police. Wittenberns admitted he and McQuiggin spent the afternoon drinking. Both have been arrested multiple times in the past for driving under the influence, and have previously had their licenses suspended as a result, according to state records.
Mr. Smith was a retired real estate agent. He’d started driving for Uber to make some extra money to help support his wife, Eloise. “I made him dinner and he didn't come home,” she told the Palm Beach Post. “Until I see his body, it’s like he just went out into space.”
Wittenberns is known for founding the Lady of America fitness club franchise, which has 1,300 locations in nine countries, and more than a million members. He served as the company’s president and CEO from 1984 until 2005, and now runs Diversified Health & Fitness, which owns Access Fitness, American Body Works, Fit For Her, Zoo Health Clubs, FitZone For Women, and others.
