Palo Alto police exercise discretion, do not cite 49ers coach in July crash

Palo Alto police said they did not issue a traffic citation to San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan following a July 14 crash that left him seriously injured. A department spokesperson told ESPN that the officer on scene exercised discretion and that the fault attributed to the other driver in the state collision database was the result of a clerical error. "It is not uncommon for officers to elect to not issue a citation to either party involved in a collision," the spokesperson added, noting that neither party received preferential treatment.

According to Shanahan, the accident occurred when his iPhone slipped from his lap while he was driving his Tesla. He reached for the device, took his eyes off the road for about two seconds, and subsequently struck a vehicle driven by a 21-year-old woman. The impact caused Shanahan multiple injuries, including a broken nose, a facial laceration that required 40 stitches, three broken ribs, a broken left hand and a concussion.

California law classifies traffic accident reports as confidential, and Palo Alto police denied ESPN’s requests for the report and officer body-camera footage. The 49ers’ security chief, Jeremy Jones, declined to provide a redacted version of the report, citing privacy concerns for the other driver.

The team did not publicly disclose the incident until the day before training camp began, when it was announced that Shanahan would limit his coaching duties while recovering. General manager John Lynch assumed Shanahan’s media responsibilities during the coach’s absence.

Police discretion in not issuing a citation is not unprecedented in Palo Alto; a similar decision was made in 2023 when Elon Musk was observed using a phone while driving a Tesla, with officers citing the lack of direct observation as the reason for no ticket.