Is THIS how Tutankhamun died? Expert claims the Egyptian King was involved in a DRINK-DRIVING crash 

It has long been believed that Tutankhamun died of an open wound, as he became increasingly weakened by malaria.

But an Egyptologist has now proposed a controversial new theory, suggesting the Boy King may have died in a drink-driving accident.

Sofia Aziz, an award-winning independent researcher, believes the “quintessential teenager” died in the aftermath of a high-speed car accident while drunk on wine.

It was this disaster that left him with life-threatening broken legs that became infected and led to a slow death, she claims.

“He was like a typical teenager, he drank and probably drove too fast in the chariot,” Ms Aziz said BBC Science focus.

In 2010a group of Egyptologists radiologically examined the pharaoh’s mummy to better understand his cause of death.

The king, who was only 19 when he died, was found not only to have malaria but also multiple ailments at the time of his death.

Previous studies have claimed that he needed a cane to walk, as in addition to oligodactyly in his right foot and clubfoot in his left, he also had painful Köhler’s disease.

Still, investigators concluded that it was actually a broken leg that killed him, with the cause of this unclear.

Now Mrs. Aziz has completely ruled out these theories, referring to belongings in his tomb as clues.

It has long been believed that ancient Egyptians were buried with everyday objects that could be used in the afterlife.

Experts previously said seeds and fruits found in Tut’s tomb indicate he was undergoing medical treatment.

But Mrs. Aziz points to the six chariots, armor and stash of wine also found there.

These belongings indicate he was not handicapped and rode chariots like a “warrior king,” she said.

Mrs. Aziz heads for the six chariots, armor and stash of white wine found in his royal tomb, suggesting he was “more of a warrior king”

It has long been believed that ancient Egyptians were buried with everyday objects that could be used in the afterlife. In the photo: Tutankhamun’s tomb

Aziz believes Tutankhamun may have slammed into the ‘dashboard’ of the chariot while riding, leading to the life-threatening wound.

His much-discussed clubbed foot was therefore not a problem, she claims, but a deformity caused during the mummification process.

Ms. Aziz referred to tight bandages and the application of wax as the cause of this, while also commenting on his well-aligned legs.

“When I studied Tutankhamun, I personally don’t think there was any evidence that he was disabled, because I’ve seen mummies that appear to have a club foot,” she told the Cheltenham Science Festival.

“We call these pseudo-pathological changes. The walking sticks were just a sign of royalty.

“His legs were so well aligned — if he had a deformity, and if he had a club foot, he would have had trouble walking, but the long bones just show no evidence of that.”

However, Ms. Aziz acknowledges that there is some uncertainty as information about Tutankhamun has deteriorated since the tomb’s discovery in 1922.

“I think we may never find out exactly how he died,” Ms Aziz told the publication.

“Unless they find something with the internal organs. I don’t think we can find out anything more until then.’

KING TUTANKHAMUN: THE PARAOH WHO RIGLED IN EGYPT OVER 3,000 YEARS AGO

The face of Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty and reigned between 1332 BC and 1323 BC. That’s right, his famous golden funeral mask

Tutankhamen was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty and reigned between 1332 BC and 1323 BC.

He was the son of Akhenaten and ascended the throne when he was nine or ten years old.

When he became king, he married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten.

He died around age 18 and his cause of death is unknown.

In 1907, Lord Carnarvon George Herbert asked English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter to oversee excavations in the Valley of the Kings.

On November 4, 1922, Carter’s group found steps leading to Tutankhamun’s tomb.

He spent several months cataloging the antechamber before opening the burial chamber and discovering the sarcophagus in February 1923.

When the tomb was discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter, under the patronage of Lord Carnarvon, the media frenzy that followed was unprecedented.

It took Carter and his team 10 years to clear the tomb of its treasure because of the multitude of artifacts found inside.

To many, Tut epitomizes the glory of ancient Egypt as his tomb was filled with the glittering wealth of the wealthy 18th Dynasty from 1569 to 1315 BC.

Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s head of antiquities (3rd from left), oversees the removal of the lid from King Tutankhamen’s sarcophagus in his underground tomb in the famous Valley of the Kings in 2007.