Halle Berry claims car crash changed her life

[HMG] – Halle Berry has a reputation as a strong actress and a woman of beauty, but her rep for poor driving may have transformed her life.

The 44-year old Ohio-born actress was among guests at a lunch in New York’s East Hamptons, held by Revlon owner, Ronald Perelman. During their luxurious snack  Halle told fellow guests about her work at L.A’s Jenesse Center, which helps battered women.

The Post reports that Halle told guests she began working at the center, which runs the oldest domestic violence program in south LA, thirteen-years ago as her community service, after leaving the scene of a hit-and-run crash.

“It changed my life,” she told the crowd. “I hadn’t been doing enough. It was time.”

Berry was involved in the two-car collision in 1997, but no charges were filed. Three years later in February 2000 she parked her white Chevy Blazer in the side of a Pontiac Sunfire on  Sunset Strip, then drove off at high speed before cops arrived.

Berry pleaded no contest for this second crash, and was sentenced to 250 hours of community service, a laughable $15,000 fine and three years’ probation. A civil lawsuit brought by the other driver was settled of court.

But in October of 2007 she did it again — crashing into the wall of an LA shopping mall. Berry later blamed this one on the paparazzi for ‘chasing’ her because she’d announced she was pregnant.

As the dinner wound down, Perelman announced that Revlon would donate half of the $500,000 the center needs for a new care facility….At which point, Halle promptly ran round the tables and high-fived the whole crowd.

High-fives? What is this, the 90′s??