Updated

It's one of the grisliest coincidences ever -- 5 years after Nick Hogan nearly killed his passenger in a car accident ... the passenger's brother is now in critical condition, after getting into a near-fatal car wreck himself. 

In case you forgot ... Nick Hogan was racing his sports car in Florida back in 2007, when he lost control and crashed into a tree. His passenger, John Graziano, is expected to spend the rest of his life in a vegetative state.
Now John's brother Michael Graziano suffered an eerily similar fate -- getting into a serious car accident ... in which he was also the passenger. Even worse ... Michael was NOT wearing a seatbelt, just like his brother John.

The Florida Highway Patrol says the car Graziano was riding in -- a 1994 Volvo -- slammed into the back of a dump truck at 2:30 a.m.

Graziano was rushed to Bayfront Medical Center where he is currently in critical condition. The car's driver was also taken to Bayfront, though his injuries aren't believed to be life-threatening.