Actually, I was thinking the opposite. Did you read it? Since his friend and inspiration died in a car crash, it seems like he should be the last person to end up killing someone in a fatal car crash.
That's certainly what one might reasonably assume.
Your take on the article seems accurate — some folks’ magnets don’t pick up irony.
I have to wonder if what the two tragedies really have in common is irresponsibility and the hubris of hard-charging young men who think they can beat the odds while living on the edge.