Keanu Reeves took the stand at his civil trial today and denied dinging a photographer with his car as he was trying to evade flashbulbs back in March 2007, allegedly leaving the photog with debilitating injuries.
Using his hands to illustrate the scene, the 44-year-old star testified that he inched his black 1996 Porsche 911 Cabrio forward slowly to prod the paparazzo in question, Alison Silva, to put down his camera and move away from the vehicle.
"Did you hit him?" Reeves was asked by his attorney, Alfred W. Gerisch.
"No," the actor replied.
Reeves asserted his Porsche never touched Silva, insisting the cameraman walked backwards, lost balance and tripped over his own feet.
"Are you sure of that?"
Yes," said Reeves, adding that the only contact between his car and the shutterbug was when Silva put his hand on the hood.
Silva sued the Speed star for unspecified damages stemming from "serious injuries" suffered to his left wrist, causing pain and suffering and severely limiting his earnings capacity.
In his suit, Silva alleged Reeves was covering his face when he was behind the wheel and acted negligently when he pulled away from the curb.
Under cross-examination, Silva’s lawyer, Joseph Farzam, tried to nail down the Matrix man on whether he really made an effort to avoid hitting Silva, asking Reeves if he used his horn or hand signals to get Silva to move.
"He was in front of a starting car," Reeves replied. "It’s common sense to me."
After the encounter, Reeves said he returned to a home he had been visiting and asked his hosts to call 911. He then went back to the scene and brought Silva some water, which the photographer did not accept.
Reeves testified that another man asked Silva what happened and the shutterbug replied, "I am a paparazzo. He is a movie star. It was an accident."
and how much I love him when he is like this, that’s what makes him so attractive.
