He was sued by a former friend, Roland Winkler, for a November 1979 accident in which Garrett was driving and the car left the road and plunged 80 feet down a hillside. Winkler was paralyzed, and a judgment of $7.1 million was eventually awarded. The two were reunited 20 years later as part of a TV program about Garrett's life and career, and Garrett learned that Winkler, whom he hadn't seen since 1980, had forgiven him long ago--and that Garrett's actions following the accident had actually saved his life.
