NFL star Cam Newton was involved in a frightening car crash that sent him to the hospital Tuesday afternoon, but he appears to have escaped serious injury.
Newton was taken to the hospital by ambulance at 12:50 p.m. local time after his truck overturned on a bridge in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the Charlotte Observer. Newton, the top pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, plays quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.
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The Panthers tweeted soon after that Newton was "in fair condition and undergoing tests at Carolinas Medical Center and will remain there overnight for observation." Local WBTV reporter Steve Crump, meanwhile, reported that Newton suffered no significant injuries, did not want to be transported and was hospitalized simply as a precaution. The Panthers provided a further update shortly after.
Further testing revealed that Cam Newton has two transverse process fractures in his lower back and no further internal injuries.— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 9, 2014
Still, the sight of Newton's overturned truck laying in a city street as the quarterback was lifted into an ambulance by stretcher made many fans initially fear the worst. Observer reporter Jonathan Jones posted several photos from the crash site.
Cam Newton's car overturned just above I 277 pic.twitter.com/i5UjckyfbF— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) December 9, 2014
Cam Newton on a stretcher. Just loaded in ambulance pic.twitter.com/TP7rSRKXua— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) December 9, 2014
Tow truck just turned over Newton's vehicle pic.twitter.com/N8CKJs94jw— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) December 9, 2014
This Vine from Jones reportedly shows Newton being loaded onto an ambulance.
A photo tweeted by the Observer, however, conveyed a more positive outlook from Newton.
Cam Newton is conscious and smiling after crash in uptown Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/tx6R9qisSh— Charlotte Observer (@theobserver) December 9, 2014
Two witnesses told the paper that Newton's truck was hit by a sedan, although their recollections differed about whether his vehicle flipped or not before coming to rest on its side. A police spokesman told the paper that Newton was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while someone from the other vehicle in the accident was also hospitalized.
Other NFL players were quick to tweet well-wishes after news of Newton's accident broke.
Praying for my bro Cam! Hope he's ok— Mike Vick (@MikeVick) December 9, 2014
Praying for you Cam that you heal up quickly boss!— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) December 9, 2014
Hoping @CameronNewton is okay. Thoughts and prayers with him today.— Matt Ryan (@M_Ryan02) December 9, 2014
Much remains to be seen about the extent of Newton's injuries and circumstances surrounding the crash -- but for now, it's encouraging to know that the situation could have been much worse.
Meanwhile, anyone who tweets about Newton's crash torpedoing a fantasy team is going straight to hell.