49ers coach Kyle Shanahan cited for cellphone use in crash but not formally charged
California records show Kyle Shanahan was operating a cell phone at the time of a head-on collision, violating state law, though no citation was issued. The other driver was found at fault.
San Francisco — A California Department of Motor Vehicles record indicates that San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was holding and using a cell phone while driving on the day he was involved in a head-on crash. The violation, California Vehicle Code 23123.5(a), prohibits operating a handheld phone behind the wheel, but officials did not issue a citation to Shanahan.
According to the report, the other driver swerved into Shanahan’s lane, causing the collision. Both vehicles’ airbags deployed. The other driver was not injured, while Shanahan suffered a broken nose, a broken hand, broken ribs, a severe concussion, and required 40 stitches for facial lacerations.
"Shanahan nearly lost his right eye," former NFL quarterback Chris Simms said on a sports broadcast.
The incident was not publicly disclosed until the team’s training camp began, prompting questions about the timing of the release. Media monitoring of public records later uncovered the DMV information, which had not been reported by local outlets at the time of the crash.