The tour buses carrying the Washington Redskins to their game versus the Minnesota Vikings was involved in what is being described as a “minor collision” on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014. The buses were traveling on an interstate off-ramp en route to their afternoon game when an escort vehicle—a police car—crashed into a guardrail in front of them. The driver of the first bus hit the brakes in an attempt to avoided colliding with the police vehicle, however, the second bus was not able to brake in time to avoid hitting the bus in front of it, and resulted in its rear-ending the other vehicle.
Although several players on board both buses complained of minor injuries—mostly cuts and bruises—the game went on as scheduled, resulting in a Redskins loss. One player (Silas Redd, running back for the Redskins) was unable to join his teammates on the field due to severe back spasms, but he is reported as being otherwise in good health and should be ready to play again soon. The police officer in the squad car that crashed into the guardrail, setting off the chain-reaction multiple-vehicle collision, is reported as having sustained a non-life threatening injury as a result of the crash.
Photos released to the media following the collision show the squad car with moderate front-end damage, the bumper having detached after the collision with the guardrail. One of the buses had to be towed away, and a photo taken by Redskins player Pierre Garcon shows a smashed windshield on the bus he was riding in at the time of the crash.
Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has publicly praised the driver of the first bus for his swift reaction time, citing the driver’s quick action as the reason that the collision was not more serious. The coach of the team, Jay Gruden, reported that he and the players were uninjured save for a sore neck on his part, and minor scrapes and bruises on the parts of the players.
There is no word at this time as to what caused the police car collision with the guardrail that led to the subsequent bus crash.