NFL players killed in car crash: Five stars who lost their lives in tragic accidents

Six people died in Houston on Saturday morning after a car jumped a red light and collided with another car. Among them was D.J. Hayden, a former first-round NFL draft pick.

Zach McMillian and Ralph Oragwu, the cornerback's former colleagues at the University of Houston, also died in the collision. The Houston Chronicle reports that the driver who jumped the red light was also declared dead at the location of the accident.

Though the NFL community is grieving Hayden's untimely death, incidents similar to his are not uncommon in the NFL quarters.

We shall discuss other heartbreaking and tragic incidents in this article.

Five NFL players to have died in tragic accidents

#1 - Stacey Toran

Stacey Toran was a Los Angeles Raiders safety who died in a fatal vehicle accident.

The Los Angeles Raiders selected Toran, a Notre Dame product, with the 186th overall choice in the sixth round of the 1984 NFL draft. After a preseason game on August 6, 1989, he lost control of his car, rolled over multiple times, and collided with a tree in Marina del Rey.

Following a toxicology evaluation, it was discovered that Toran's blood alcohol content was over three times the permitted limit at the time of the collision.

#2 - Dwayne Haskins

According to a toxicology study, Dwayne Haskins, a former NFL quarterback, was intoxicated on April 9, 2022, when he was struck by a truck and killed in Florida. The former Washington Redskins player had blood alcohol content samples that were .20 and .24, both over the Florida legal threshold of .08. Norketamine and ketamine were also detected in his blood.

Haskins was trying to cross on foot when he was hit by a dump truck, and as an unavoidable consequence of his injuries, he died.

A lawsuit speculates that before his death, a group of one man and three women may have drugged and stolen from the former first-round NFL draft pick. The dump truck driver was also accused of acting recklessly, speeding, and breaking weight restriction laws.

#3 - Tarvaris Jackson

At the age of 36, former NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson died in an Alabama vehicle accident in April 2020.

The former quarterback for Alabama State was driving his 2012 Chevrolet Camaro when he went off the road and ran into a tree, as an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency source informed CNN. Following the collision, Jackson was taken to a local hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The Minnesota Vikings selected Jackson in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He was a player for the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks as well. He was a member of the Seattle squad in the 2013–2014 season that won Super Bowl 48. In his NFL career, Jackson scored 45 touchdowns overall.

#4 - Eric Andolsek

When a truck driver got off the road to hit and kill Eric Andolsek in front of his house in June 1992, Andolsek was only 25 and well on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats for the Detroit Lions.

The 1988 NFL draft saw the selection of offensive lineman Andolsek in the fifth round by the Lions. He played a key role in helping the Lions to a 12-4 record and the division title in his final season. Before ultimately losing to Washington, the Lions defeated the Dallas Cowboys in their opening playoff game.

The Lions' 5-11 record the season following Andolsek's death demonstrated how significant he was to the team.

#5 - D.J. Hayden

Assistant Chief of Houston Police Megan Howard said that a Chrysler 300, traveling at a high speed, jumped a red light and slammed into an SUV around 2:00 AM on Saturday, Nov. 11.

The car collision claimed the lives of one woman and five men, including former Oakland Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden.

Prior to being taken by the Raiders with the 12th overall choice in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Hayden was a Houston Cougars collegiate football player. In the NFL, he also played for the Washington Football Team, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Lions.