Improper Lane Change Cost NFL Player His Arm, Career

A young Miami Dolphins player lost his left arm after a July 4 car accident in Miami—and now police are laying blame for the crash on him. Citing a Florida Highway Patrol accident file seen by ESPN, USA Today reports that 22-year-old defensive tackle Kendrick Norton received a citation for improperly changing lanes. When he did so, cops say, his pickup truck hit a Maserati in that lane. The Maserati was able to safely stop without injuries to the driver, but Norton's truck slammed into a concrete barrier and flipped. The report notes drugs and alcohol weren't a factor for either driver. Norton is now recuperating in the hospital, in stable condition after multiple surgeries, including the amputation of his arm.

"It's not realistic that I'm going to be able to play football anymore," Norton told CBS4 Miami, though in a Thursday Instagram post he was more upbeat. "THANK YOU GOD for life!!" he posted, imploring others to donate blood, because "it saved my life and many others!" Although the NFL has informed Norton his health insurance will cover all of his medical costs, a GoFundMe, which has raised $18,000 as of Friday morning, has been set up to help with the "tremendous amount of financial strain on Kendrick and his family" now that he effectively may have no income coming in, depending on how the Dolphins handle paying out the rest of his contract. The Sun-Sentinel notes the team could place Norton, a non-guaranteed player, on the non-football injury list for this season, in which case he'd get the $495,000 salary he had the potential of making. (More Miami Dolphins stories.)