Lindsay Lohan Blames Paparazzi for Crashes

Lindsay Lohan has blamed the paparazzi for causing a series of car crashes that eventually landed the actress in jail for driving under the influence (Dui) in 2007.

The Mean Girls star has been involved in a number of minor motor collisions, including one incident in 2007 when, following a crash, cops found a "usable" amount of cocaine in her car and she was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

And Lohan points the finger of blame for her accidents squarely at the paparazzi, who constantly tail her in the hope of getting a picture.

She tells Interview magazine, "My car accident that I got into, where I got my first charge, I wouldn't have been speeding up like I was if I didn't have people shoving cameras in my windows. I was running away from the paparazzi.

"Especially late at night, when you're trying to turn a corner, and then somebody else is speeding up alongside you. So, you know, it's okay for someone to chase me and then try to cut me off so I ram my car into a tree... I mean, I know this guy was trying to do his job, but his 'job' almost landed me half-dead.

"Not only that, but they all stand to make a lot more money at it if they've got pictures of you in a car crashed into a tree."

Lohan was also charged with possession of cocaine and misdemeanour charges of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license in July 2007.

The star spent that summer in rehab in a bid to conquer her demons and later spent 84 minutes in jail for her two Dui charges - but she won't forgive the snappers for their part in the incidents.

She adds, "They're instigating and antagonising you. All of them aren't bad. But I will tell you that I had one of these guys drive into the side of my car once. That's how I met my criminal defence attorney.

"I think the guy who hit me wound up going to jail for a few days. I was not injured. I sprained my ankle because the door hit me really hard, but I've sprained my ankle a lot of times before, from soccer and dancing and ballet."

But the actress does get a thrill out of the ongoing car chases she encounters with the paparazzi: "At the same time, though, I am sort of a speed demon. It's exhilarating."