ɪn mˈeɪ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪv, nˈeɪlsən wʌz ɪnvˈɑːlvd ɪn ɐ kˈɑːɹ kɹˈæʃ ɐlˈɔŋ wɪð kˈʌntɹɪmən ænd fˈɔːɹmɚ bˈoʊvɪstə plˈeɪɚ hoʊsˈeɪ bˈoʊsɪŋwə, hˌuː ɹˌɛpɹᵻzˈɛntᵻd ˌɛfsˈiː pˈoːɹɾoʊ æt ðə tˈaɪm.
In May 2005, Nélson was involved in a car crash along with countryman and former Boavista player José Bosingwa, who represented FC Porto at the time.