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Hours after daughter is born, NFL player nearly dies in car crash

New York Giants punter Steve Weatherford is a lucky man.

Photo of Josh Katzowitz

Josh Katzowitz

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New York Giants punter Steve Weatherford knew he’d be in for a crazy Sunday. His daughter had just been born in San Diego, and though he’d get to spend part of his morning getting to know her, he also would have to travel cross-country while battling thunderstorms at his final destination in order to get ready for work the next day. 

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Then, things got really weird (not to mention, dangerous).

Here’s how he described it on his Facebook page.

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Weatherford told the Boomer and Carton Show on WFAN that he was traveling between 65-70 miles per hour when his car drove through the water.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “As I’m spinning, my life is in slow motion, flashing before my eyes. It was the craziest thing to ever happen to me.”

About 90 seconds after he crashed, Weatherford said another car hit the same pit of water and slammed into his car.

“I thought the guy was dead,” he said. “I sprint up to his car. I’m trying to open his door, it’s bent shut. I’m trying to open the passenger door, it’s bent shut. So finally, I like rip open the back-right door … I’m trying to gently hit this guy’s shoulder and trying to wake him up, because a third car could definitely, easily come and (hit) us.”

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That man was taken away in a stretcher, but Weatherford said he thought he looked OK.

Of course, Weatherford was absolutely correct in his Facebook post. He was lucky to walk away from a crash like that and live another day to see his family and newborn daughter. And yeah, he still managed to make it to the Giants facility for practice.

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Photo via Keith Allison/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)

 
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