Lance Armstrong 'causes car accident', lets girlfriend take the blame

Armstrong was driving after a party but allegedly lied to avoid national attention

(Getty Images)

Former cyclist Lance Armstrong has been accused of allowing his girlfriend take the blame for a car accident last month, even though he was the one behind the wheel when the accident occurred.

Police say that Mr Armstrong was driving when he hit two parked cars in Aspen, Colorado, on 28 December after he and his girlfriend left a party. Mr Armstrong’s girlfriend, Anna Hansen, took the blame for the accident so he could avoid the national spotlight, said police.

The couple had been at a party at the Aspen Art Museum prior to the accident, according to a report from ESPN. After the accident, Ms Hansen went to the house outside which the cars were parked, explained what happened and offered to pay for damages.

When officers began investigating the accident – which was initially reported as a hit and run – Ms Hansen told them she was driving because Mr Armstrong had been drinking at the party. When pressed about the accident, she admitted that he was behind the wheel.

“We've had our family name smeared over every paper in the world in the last couple of years and honestly, I've got teenagers, I just wanted to protect my family,” Ms Hansen told authorities, according to a police report. “I thought, gosh, Anna Hansen hit some cars, it's not going to show up in the papers, but Lance Armstrong hit some cars, it's going to be a national story.”

Ms Hansen has not been charged, but Mr Armstrong has been charged with speeding and failing to report an accident. He has yet to comment on the allegations.

Mr Armstrong was once one of the most revered US athletes after he won the Tour de France every year from 1999 to 2005, but he lost those titles after it was revealed that he had been taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Follow Payton Guion on Twitter @PaytonGuion.