Newly released 911 dispatch audio reveals some grisly new details about San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s car crash. While the incident occurred during the coach’s summer break in mid-July, the public is only now becoming aware of the crash because Shanahan will be limited as the team begins training camp due to the serious injuries he sustained in the accident.
According to sources, on July 14, Shanahan crashed into an SUV close to his home in Palo Alto, California, breaking his nose, three ribs, and his hand. He also required over forty stitches in his face and suffered a severe concussion.
According to 911 dispatch audio, emergency personnel learned that one of the SUV’s passengers was “bleeding from the head” following the crash. The audio does not identify the injured person by name, but it does line up with the injuries Kyle Shanahan reportedly sustained.
“There is no impairment suspected and both drivers remained on scene and were cooperative with the police,” Palo Alto Police Dept. spokesperson Lt. Nicolas Martinez said in a statement to the New York Post. “No one was cited for the collision. There will be no information released regarding the cause of the collision or who was at fault.”
Kyle Shanahan was at 49ers training camp on Sunday
Kyle Shanahan, who reportedly only informed his assistant coaches of the crash on Tuesday, did appear at San Francisco’s first training camp practice on Sunday. He wore sunglasses as well as a soft cast on his left hand while visiting with 49ers general manager John Lynch. Assistant head coach Chris Foerster and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris are expected to handle many of Shanahan’s duties while he recovers, with Klay Kubiak and Brant Boyer assisting them.
“He did break his nose, and some black eyes are getting better,” ESPN reports Lynch said. “He broke some ribs, that’s painful, but that’s not what’s keeping him away. It’s the concussion. And like I said, we’ll continue to evaluate him, phase him back. And as he can tolerate things, we’ll expand those. And that will clearly be dictated by the doctors and nothing else.”
The 49ers expect Shanahan to recover in time to coach the team in their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 10.
“He’s got to meet certain markers. But I think the expectation is that long before that, he’ll be better,” said Lynch.