Las Vegas Weekly

February 20, 2009 · 8:22 AM

Local magician Franz Harary escapes nearly fatal car crash

By Robin Leach

Franz Harary and the vehicle involved in the accident.

Photo: Courtesy

When paramedics responded to the upside-down, soft-top crushed convertible on I-15, they feared the worst -- but, miraculously, Las Vegas magician Franz Harary lived to tell the story of the freak and nearly fatal accident.

Thanks to my friend Stan Allan, publisher of Vegas-based Magic Magazine, I learned that Franz had finished filming the third season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew and was driving home to Las Vegas from Los Angeles when the crash occurred.

Said Stan: “While swerving to avoid a tree falling from the truck in front of him, Franz lost control of his car and flipped the soft-top convertible onto its roof. Paramedics responded and rushed Harary to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he received several reconstructive staples on his skull.”

In an email from UMC, Franz wrote: “Judging from the damage to my car, they said they expected to find no survivors.” Franz has since recovered and been released. He even insisted on a photo standing beside the wrecked vehicle!

America’s Best Dance Crew pits teams of dancers against one another and lets viewers vote on who they think performed best. During the Illusion Challenge, teams were assigned a magic effect and given time with Franz to work the magic and illusions into their choreography.

“I’m teaching the five remaining dance crews some of my best stuff, illusions I’ve been hesitant to share with others before,” Franz said.

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