New York Jets player Dennis Byrd dies in car crash read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1285-new-york-jets-player-dennis-byrd-dies-in-car-crash

Dennis Byrd played four years in the NFL before a paralyzing on-field injury ended his professional career in 1992. But the towering 6-foot-5-inch, 270-pound defensive lineman became remembered best for learning to walk again in less than a year after the accident, going on to serve as an inspiration to Jets players and fans alike.

On Saturday morning, Byrd drove northbound on State Highway 88 outside Claremore, Oklahoma, located roughly 30 miles northeast of Tulsa, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.

A few minutes after 11 a.m.  a Ford Explorer traveling in the opposite direction veered into oncoming traffic, colliding head-on with Byrd's Hummer H2.

Paramedics transported the Explorer driver, a 17-year-old Claremore resident, to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, authorities said. The driver, who was admitted in stable condition, sustained injuries to his head, trunk, arm, and leg.

A 12-year-old passenger riding in the Ford Explorer also sustained similar injuries, authorities said.

The cause of the collision is still under investigation, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said

 

As news spread of Byrd's death late Saturday, NFL players, league execs and others who knew Byrd expressed their condolences regarding his legacy