Former Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson died on August 18th at the age of 36. The only thing that had emerged at first was that it was a motorcycle accident and that another person, a woman was killed. It turns out that the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service put out alerts on Twitter on the accident as it had occurred and the response of medical personnel to the scene. Based on what was revealed the night of the 17th, it was horrible.
Apparently, when help arrived at the accident site, they found four people injured. Two of them, one being Benson, were in critical condition. Based on when the accident was reported, somebody was on fire following the initial crash. EMTs found one person already dead when they arrived and tried to administer CPR to the other. Their efforts proved too little, too later as the person died on scene before an ambulance could arrive.
The other two people involved in the crash sustained minor injuries.
Cedric Benson had a history of reckless driving
Details as to what exactly happened with the crash itself remain unclear and likely won't come to light for the next several days. Was Benson at fault? There's no way to know for sure. However, history suggests it's possible. The former running back had a long history of careless vehicle operation. He's sustained multiple arrests including a BWI (Boating While Intoxicated), which led to his release from Chicago in 2008, and a DWI earlier this month.
So it's already clear that he has a history of not being safe when it comes to driving. It will be interesting to see if that played a part in the accident or if it was just a tragic twist of fate. Either way, it's a grim reminder that even people who seemed invincible during their playing days are anything but in the face of operating vehicles recklessly. Benson would not be the first to suffer a tragic death in this manner.
Former Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro defensive tackle Jerome Brown died in one. Hall of Fame outside linebacker Derrick Thomas suffered a pulmonary embolism as a result of severe injuries from another. Hopefully, Benson wasn't being like they were. Regardless, nobody deserves what happened to him.
