On the morning NFL star Dwayne Haskins was fatally struck by a dump truck, his wife told a 911 operator her husband was walking to get gas and wasn't picking up the phone, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
When Kalabrya Haskins described her concern for her husband and what she knew about his location, the operator explained there had been an incident on the highway.
"I don't want you to panic, but I am going to be honest with you," the operator said, advising it could not immediately be confirmed whether he had been involved.
Eventually, authorities would identify the man killed in the April 9 crash as 24-year-old Dwayne Haskins.
The Steelers quarterback had walked in the road on Interstate 595 in Fort Lauderdale before being struck by a dump truck in the center lane, according to a crash report issued this week. The driver of another car "took evasive maneuvers by veering left," but the vehicle's right tires struck the football player. One witness told investigators a third vehicle could have also been involved.
A series of 911 callers that morning described the chilling scene to operators.
"There was a man hit in front of me," a caller said. "I was traveling on the road, and I saw a dump truck hit the man."
Another caller said there was "blood everywhere."
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, and the final traffic homicide investigation report — which usually takes about 90 days to complete — is still in progress, Lt. Indiana Miranda told NPR in an email.
On Friday, Haskins' coaches, family and friends gathered at a memorial service at Allegheny Alliance Church in Pittsburgh.
"I want to thank everyone for their continuous outpour of kindness and love for my husband during this extremely difficult time," Kalabrya Haskins wrote on the Steelers' website.
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