As if the total lack of investigative journalism that went into San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's accident wasn't enough to make fans angry, news has now emerged that police didn't even have the right person responsible listed on the initial report.
The initial public record on the culprit of the accident was placed on the other driver in the two-car crash. But Shanahan himself admitted this week that he was responsible for crossing the road line while trying to get his phone that had fallen from his hand.
The Athletic quoted Palo Alto PD lieutenant Nicolas Martinez, who confirmed that Shanahan was correct and that a "clerical error in the preparation of the report" led to the error.
“I can confirm that Kyle Shanahan’s statement that he provided is correct and that he was found at fault for the collision,” Martinez said in a statement. “There was a clerical error in the preparation of the report that was transmitted to the State database. We are in the process of correcting that error. It is the officer’s discretion at the scene of the collision as to whether they issue a citation to either party. It is not uncommon for officers to elect to not issue a citation to either party involved in a collision. Neither party in this situation was provided preferential treatment.”
That feels like a little more than a clerical error. It's not misspelling someone's name, getting a plate number wrong or forgetting to cross your T's.
A culprit was misidentified in a serious accident that could have had massive legal consequences if things had gotten any worse.
Shanahan nearly lost his eye in the accident
Shanahan's close friend, Chris Simms, says that the 49ers coach was pretty close to losing his eye in the accident.
"When you first see it, and it's fresh, and some of the cuts are still wide open, I mean, it's jarring -- it's jarring," Simms said on "PFT Live."
"He was this close to maybe losing his right eye, right? The scar is so big right here. So all that stuff was just crazy to see, and of course, I was thinking of my friend. But yeah, it's tough."
