Matthew Stafford Narrowly Avoids Bridge Collapse En Route to Practice

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford escaped danger early Friday morning when a pedestrian bridge collapsed on the Southfield Freeway in metro Detroit as he was heading to practice.

Roop Raj of Fox 2 reports the sixth-year pro was right near the bridge when the accident occurred:

Rod Beard of The Detroit News received confirmation from the Lions that Stafford narrowly missed the collapse:

Derick Hutchinson of ClickOnDetroit.com reports the incident occurred after a truck collided with the overpass. Police said the driver of that vehicle died as a result of his injuries, while another person was taken away on a stretcher.

The Detroit News' Kim Kozlowski and Tom Greenwood passed along comments from Michigan Department of Transportation spokeswoman Diane Cross about the situation.

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"We received a call at about 6 a.m. that some type of waste hauler had hit the pedestrian overpass with its boom up," she said. "It struck the overpass and knocked out the entire structure. No one was on the overpass or driving beneath it at the time."

The incident caused Stafford's early journey to practice to be delayed. Fortunately, he escaped without injury and received a ride from a member of the Lions' staff, notes Brad Galli of WXYZ:

Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in 2009, has led Detroit to a 2-1 record through three weeks. The team ranks sixth in the NFL in passing yards, and he's connected on a trio of touchdowns while completing 62.3 percent of his throws.

The Lions head to New York to face off with the Jets this weekend. While Stafford's preparation for the league's second-ranked defense was slightly delayed, he walked away unharmed.