In August of 1987, Grey had some time before her tour promoting “Dirty Dancing,” and the two young stars travelled through Northern Ireland together. The couple was driving around Enniskillen in a rented BMW 316, when Broderick reportedly got lost along the route, according to People Magazine. After stopping at a gas station to get his bearings, Broderick began driving down a road in Belfast, when he veered into the right lane, crashing head-on into a Volvo. Inside the other vehicle were 28-year-old Anna Gallagher and her mother, 63-year-old Margaret Doherty. Broderick suffered a fractured leg, according to AP News and Jennifer Grey walked away from the crash with a case of whiplash. The two women in the Volvo did not survive.
Broderick was facing five years in jail for causing death by dangerous driving, but ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of careless driving, and paid just a $175 fine. Martin Doherty, the crash victims’ son and brother, called the verdict “a travesty of justice,” but agreed to meet with the actor in 2002 saying he had forgiven him, according to the New York Post.
