Caldwell Says Matthew Stafford Was 'At The Front Of The Line' Of Cars After Detroit Bridge Collapse; Other Coaches Passed It Shortly Before
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK (CBS DETROIT) - Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was among the first people to come upon the wreckage early Friday when a pedestrian walkway collapsed onto Southfield Freeway.
The driver whose garbage truck's elevated bucket slammed into the bridge was killed, and the entire bridge and its freeway signs tumbled onto the roadway, spewing concrete in all directions. The spectacle stopped many commuters in their tracks -- and having a celebrity stranded alongside them certainly drew attention.
Head coach Jim Caldwell and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who also takes the Southfield Freeway to work, had already arrived at the team's facility in Allen Park when they heard Stafford was one of the people trapped on the highway.
But Stafford wasn't the only Lions staffer who had a close call with drama.
"We had a number of coaches that were sort of delayed a bit coming in, and coaches as well," Caldwell said. "[Head of security] Elton [Moore] ... happened to be not too many cars behind Matthew, and although they didn't let him go through underneath the bridge, he was able to get turned around and head back in the other direction."
Moore stayed with Stafford's Range Rover, and the quarterback reportedly took Moore's car to the practice facility. Caldwell said he and Austin must have just missed the whole disaster.
"I had probably gone by that same section maybe 15, 20 minutes prior to, somewhere between 5:30 and 6," Caldwell said. "Myself and Teryl Austin, he wasn't too far behind me, and then by the time we get to the facility, we had heard about it and found out that Matthew was right there at the front of the line that was stopped.
"He always gets in here really early as well," Caldwell added. "But no [players or coaches] had any injuries or things of that nature ... If that happened at rush hour, that would have been really difficult, so thank the Lord that most people came away safely."
