Is Gene Hackman a cyborg? Which Nickelodeon star may rival Lindsay Lohan's string of automotive, substance abuse and legal mishaps?

The answers are all here, in this fresh installment of celebrity auto accidents. As you may have already learned from last year's roundup, sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.

Beginning on the next page, we revisit seven major crashes in 2012, featuring a predictably reckless Lohan, two rap moguls, an heiress and plenty of drama.

Mayim Bialik

On Aug. 15, 2012, Mayim Bialik asked her husband to tweet that she would “keep all of [her] fingers” after sustaining severe injuries to her left hand during a car accident that afternoon in Los Angeles, Calif.

The 36-year-old “Big Bang Theory” star was in real danger of losing a finger—one was reportedly dangling, almost completely severed—after a vehicle collided with her white Volvo at the L.A. intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and La Brea. The approaching vehicle, reportedly occupied by a group of Chilean tourists, was attempting to make a left turn. Three of the occupants suffered only minor injuries for which they did not seek medical treatment.

Perhaps best known her role in the NBC series “Blossom,” Bialik good-naturedly recounted the accident in a humorous blog post but noted that in reality the incident was very serious. When initially asked if her injury would be written into the Big Bang storyline, she said “No, we're going to make it work. No handstands.”

(AP Photo)

(Gene Hackman/AP Photo)

On Jan. 16, 2012, Gene Hackman's leisurely bike ride in the Florida Keys was interrupted when a car slammed into him. Emergency personnel immediately tended to the 81-year-old Oscar-winning actor, who was airlifted to a trauma center.

Despite erroneous reports of “serious head and leg injuries,” Hackman luckily suffered only minor bumps and bruises and was briefly hospitalized for treatment.

Sean “Diddy” Combs

Sean “Diddy” Combs, 42, was not ready for his close-up when a vehicle smashed into the rap mogul's SUV in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard last fall. The accident occurred on the afternoon of Oct. 24, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif. when a man driving a Lexus attempted to turn left in front of Diddy's Cadillac Escalade.

Both drivers were wounded during the collision, and Diddy sustained injuries to his neck, ribs, and collarbone, according to a statement his rep released to the Associated Press. Shortly after the accident, paparazzi snapped photos of a stunned Diddy lying on the grass outside of the hotel's entrance. Fans and friends were relieved when, days later, a seemingly healthy Diddy emerged on the streets of L.A. The Escalade did not fare as well and was reportedly “badly smashed,” though something tells us Diddy has a spare ride…or 10.

Whitney Houston with daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown

Whitney Houston's family has had an unbelievably rough year. Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, the departed songstress' daughter with Bobby Brown, was involved in a near-fatal car crash in Alpharetta, Georgia on Nov. 29, 2012. That same day, 23-year-old Nick Gordon, the couple's adopted son and Bobbi Kristina's ex-fiancé, was arrested for driving 82 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone.

After ruling out drugs and alcohol as contributing factors in Brown's crash, police issued a traffic citation of “failure to maintain lane.” They believe that Bobbi Kristina was speeding when she crashed her 2012 Chevrolet Camaro. Accident investigators theorized that Brown lost control of her car while making a left turn out of her apartment complex and then drove down an embankment, striking several trees before stopping at a local park trail.

Luckily no joggers or other pedestrians were injured, and miraculously Brown emerged unscathed from the wreck. The young actress and reality TV star has reportedly been in several fender benders since Houston passed away in Feb. 2012.

Houston designated her daughter as the sole beneficiary of her estate. The inheritance has been placed in a trust until Bobbi Kristina turns 21.

(AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File)

Wiz Khalifa

Photos of Wiz Khalifa's mangled muscle car surfaced in late September amid allegations of a hit-and-run auto accident in Los Angeles, Calif. The incident in question involved Khalifa's blue 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle and two cars, including a Lexus, which reportedly sustained serious front-end damage.

An unnamed woman filed a police report stating that on Sept. 19, 2012 as crew members were leaving a video shoot, Khalifa smashed his Chevelle into her ride and subsequently left the scene. The woman had been working on the video with the hip-hop star, authorities also learned.

As a result of the report, the LAPD launched an investigation and has questioned Khalifa. No formal resolution has been reached as of yet.

(AP Photo)

On Nov. 29, 2012, Lindsay Lohan's legal travails intensified when city attorneys in both Santa Monica, Calif. and New York filed misdemeanor charges against the troubled actress, all within a 24-hour time period.

According to The Washington Post, authorities arrested Lohan that day for allegedly punching a woman at a Manhattan nightclub following a verbal altercation. Hours later, Lohan herself was slapped…with three charges stemming from a June 8, 2012 accident in which the starlet's black Porsche slammed into an 18-wheeler on California's Pacific Coast Highway.

Specifically in connection with the June accident, or rather some imprudent maneuvering in its wake, Lohan faces three misdemeanor charges: giving false information to a police officer; willfully obstructing or resisting police officer in the performance of his duty; and reckless driving.

At the scene of the June car crash, Lohan told police that her assistant was behind the wheel. During the resultant accident investigation, however, detectives determined that Lohan was in fact driving, leading to the Nov. 29 filings and pending litigation.

Drive on a suspended license while smoking crack? Challenge accepted.

Enter Amanda Bynes, Lindsay Lohan's new competition for reckless driving supremacy. Also a former child star, Bynes racked up her share of legal fees in 2012 for a series of automotive mishaps that led to a DUI arrest, misdemeanor charges for two alleged hit-and-run accidents, and two counts of driving on a suspended license.

Authorities arrested and charged Bynes with driving under the influence after she struck an L.A. county sheriff's cruiser with her black BMW in April, 2012. At the time, Bynes refused a sobriety test and has since dispelled rumors of a substance abuse problem.

Months later, Bynes collided with the law again when a motorist claimed the troubled 26-year-old rear-ended her Toyota and fled the scene. The woman told the LAPD that the Nickelodeon starlet failed to provide proof of insurance or stick around long enough for police to arrive and survey the damage.

After another minor traffic accident in May, Bynes was reportedly involved in two more accidents—within days of each other. On Sept. 11, onlookers spotted Bynes smoking from what appeared to be a crack pipe designed to resemble a cigarette lighter, all while driving her car smack into another vehicle. Two days later, Bynes would “lightly tap” a white car.

Hit and Run Charges Dismissed

To avoid another media feeding frenzy, Richard Hutton, Bynes' lawyer, negotiated a deal with the court and the starlet's victims in Dec. 2012. In what was considered a major legal victory for Bynes, the two misdemeanor hit-and-run charges were formally dismissed. In exchange, Bynes accepted responsibility and reached amenable financial settlements with the victims.

Even with the DUI and separate counts of driving on a suspended license still pending, Bynes seemed to be getting her life back on track, moving to New York City, with public transit options a plenty, and aspirations to start a clothing line. However, unfortunately for Bynes and apparently her neighbors, the peace was short-lived. Threatened with eviction, the 26-year-old has since been forced to leave her New York apartment amid complaints from fellow residents about “marijuana smoke coming from [her] apartment.”

(AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)

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7 Major Celebrity Auto Accidents of 2012

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