All De’Angelo Henderson wanted to do was get some barbecue in a Denver suburb Saturday evening. The Broncos running back wound up upside-down in his car, which was flipped and wrecked by another driver who was being pursued by police.
That equaled two major positives for Henderson, one being that he unwittingly helped end a chase in which the other driver had already struck multiple cars and ultimately sent four people to a hospital. The other was that the second-year player emerged with only minor injuries, a situation that left him thanking God and declaring himself “very grateful and humbled to be alive.”
Henderson posted a photo Monday of what was left of his Jeep to social media, along with a caption in which he described “the most traumatic event I’ve probably ever had to deal with.” He said his vehicle was “T-boned, airborne, flipped, and rolled,” and thanked the police and emergency personnel who arrived at the scene, adding, “My thoughts and prayers are with the other victims and I hope they all are safe and doing well.”
“I don’t know if lucky is the word,” Henderson told Denver’s 9News. “Blessed. There’s just so many different words.’’
“At the last second I saw a truck plow into my passenger side,” said the 25-year-old, a sixth-round draft pick last year out of Coastal Carolina. He noted that his Jeep landed on another car before rolling to an upside-down stop.
According to 9News, the driver who hit him, 37-year-old Rainbow Sunset Espinoza, was trying to outrace police in a stolen vehicle, and she left at least two other cars severely damaged. Espinoza was reportedly being held in Douglas County jail on $50,000 bond and is facing 11 charges, including stealing a vehicle, driving recklessly, driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, evading police, failing to turn on her headlights, driving a car without plates, driving while her license was revoked, running red lights, criminal mischief, possession of burglary tools and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon.
“For the most part, my body in general is sore,” Henderson told 9News, claiming that he got out of his car by unbuckling himself and hitting the jammed door with his shoulder while laying on the roof. “No real injuries. A lot of bruises, a lot of scrapes. But my body is going to get better.’’
Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth confirmed Monday on Twitter that Henderson “sustained only minor injuries” in the crash. Smyth added that while Henderson was taken to a hospital “as a precaution,” he subsequently was able to go to the team’s practice facility and prepare for an organized training activities session next week.
In his Instagram post, Henderson noted the importance of the impending OTAs, in which his accident could have prevented him from competing for a “significant” role. The Broncos recently released their leading rusher from last season, C.J. Anderson, leaving Henderson to vie for work with another young veteran, Devontae Booker, and a pair of 2018 draftees: third-rounder Royce Freeman and seventh-rounder David Williams.
Henderson played sparingly in 2017, appearing in five games and rushing seven times for 13 yards while catching two passes for 36 yards and a touchdown, as well as returning two kickoffs for 59 yards. Of the physical trauma inflicted by the crash, he said, “My body feels like it played a football game.”
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