ADELAIDE star Scott Thompson has avoided being jailed after admitting fleeing the scene of a car accident in which a friend was seriously injured.

The midfielder yesterday was given a suspended four-month jail term after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing serious harm, and leaving the scene of an accident.

The Crows also slapped a suspended $5000 fine on Thompson.

The 25-year-old admitted losing control of a friend's car while doing burnouts and hitting a pole in November last year.

He then fled while leaving three friends at the accident scene in suburban Adelaide. One of the friends, Adam Samson, required surgery for facial injuries while another told police he, not Thompson, had been driving.

Thompson later confessed to police that he had been driving the car.

"You said that you panicked after the incident, particularly with footballers having been in the media," magistrate Paul Foley said yesterday in sentencing Thompson.

Thompson was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and entered into a good-behaviour bond.

Adelaide officials, together with the players' leadership group, issued Thompson a suspended fine of $5000 and ordered him to perform 50 hours' community work with car accident victims.

"Scott's got enormous character and I'm sure with his personal problems at the moment he'll be looking to put in a big game for sure (against Collingwood on Saturday)," skipper Simon Goodwin said.

Thompson made his debut for Melbourne in 2001 and was recruited by the Crows at the end of 2004.

He has played 123 games and was Adelaide's leading vote-getter in last year's Brownlow Medal count.

AAP