On December 16, 1989, after a home game against the Golden State Warriors, Ramos lost control of the car he was driving on Portland's Interstate 5 after hitting a patch of ice, causing him to cross the center median and flip several times. Ramos, who was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle, suffered brain damage and remained in a coma for three months. Though alcohol was not a factor, Ramos had been speeding prior to the crash. The Blazers kept his locker space intact, complete with his game uniform, for the remainder of the 1989–90 season and several seasons to follow. He was paralyzed from the waist down for a year after the crash, while his speech was severely affected.