New details surrounding Kyle Shanahan’s July 14 car crash have raised fresh questions about the handling of the incident after Palo Alto police acknowledged the San Francisco 49ers head coach was responsible for the collision but chose not to issue a citation.
No citation issued
According to the department, the responding officer used the discretion allowed under California law in deciding against citing Shanahan. Police have also refused to release the crash report or body-camera footage from the incident.
“Nothing will be released related to this accident,” a department spokesperson told TMZ.
Shanahan explained collision
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Shanahan explained that his iPhone slipped from his lap into the space between the driver’s seat and the center console of his Tesla. While reaching down to retrieve it, he briefly took his attention off the road, crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a vehicle driven by a 21-year-old woman, who was not seriously hurt.
“I went down to look for it and took my eyes off the road for two seconds,” Shanahan said. “And as I was coming up, the airbags hit me in my face and they broke my nose and then they said the visor really gashed me.”
Shanahan also showed reporters a photo taken immediately after the crash that revealed the extent of his injuries. He said the impact left him with a deep facial laceration requiring 40 stitches, along with three broken ribs, a broken left hand, a concussion and a fractured nose.
Also read: Kyle Shanahan car crash: What caused 49ers HC’s accident? Scary details of injuries emerge
“It’s like you can see my skull and stuff,” Shanahan said.
Initial crash data submitted by Palo Alto Police to a California state database incorrectly listed the other driver as being at fault. The same records also indicated Shanahan had violated California’s hands-free driving law by handling a cellphone while behind the wheel.
Citation decision explained
However, despite the apparent violation, Shanahan was never cited. In a statement to ESPN, a police spokesperson said the initial fault assignment resulted from “a clerical error.”
The spokesperson added that the responding officer ultimately chose not to issue a citation by exercising his discretion.
Neither the Palo Alto Police Department nor the 49ers organization has released an official account of the crash, and both have indicated they do not plan to provide any further details publicly.
Under California law, traffic collision reports are considered confidential and are generally accessible only to law enforcement and those directly involved.
Citing those regulations, Palo Alto Police denied ESPN’s requests for both the accident report and the responding officer’s body-camera footage.
