On March 23, 1993, during spring training, Crews and his Indians teammate Steve Olin were killed in a one-boat accident on Crews' property on Little Lake Nellie in Clermont, Florida. Another teammate, Bob Ojeda, suffered serious head injuries and spent most of the season recovering. An investigation later found that Crews had driven the boat too fast into an unlighted dock and was impaired by a blood alcohol level of 0.14.[1]
Crews and Olin were the first active MLB players to die since Thurman Munson in 1979. In their memory, the Cleveland Indians wore a patch on their jerseys bearing both players' uniform numbers during the 1993 season. The Dodgers, Crews' former team, also wore a patch bearing his uniform number during the 1993 season.
In 281 major league appearances, almost all in relief, Crews compiled a record of 11–13 with a 3.44 earned run average in 423.2 innings. He recorded 15 saves.