A Tuskegee University football player will never play the sport again because of a gruesome accident earlier this month.
According to the ABC affiliate in Memphis, Jabari Bailey lost his leg in a car accident July 11. Per the station, Bailey was on the side of the road helping give his friend’s battery a jump when another vehicle slammed into the rear of the friend’s vehicle, pinning him between his and the friend’s car.
The Division II linebacker’s father stated that the leg was instantly severed.
“A surgeon told the family, a Good Samaritan used a belt as a tourniquet and that is what saved his life,” the station wrote. Jay Bailey, the football player’s father, stated that the man charged in the incident “never hit the brakes. There are no skid marks.”
47-year-old Frank Smith has been charged with failing to yield causing serious injury. Smith’s criminal history dating to 1989 “shows a pattern of driving offenses and felony arrests.” Included in that history is being treated as an habitual motor vehicle offender yet still having a valid driver’s license at the time of the accident.
“My initial reaction was to be grateful for the life of my child and that I still got him here,” Jay Bailey said. “And I know we go a long road to go, but as a dad, I am going to make sure that this guy never hurts anybody else on the road ever again, ...
“What I don’t understand is how did he get another license? And how did he get behind the wheel of the car?”
BREAKING: GoFundMe account created to support Tuskegee linebacker Jabari Bailey whose leg was severed while attempting to be a "Good Samaritan": https://t.co/1ciremQCJ2@TheSIAC @tomjoynerfound @TheUndefeated @HBCUGameday @RealHBCUSports @espn @SportsCenter @FS1 @LionelRichie pic.twitter.com/6NuJnUwLTq
— Tuskegee Athletics (@MyTUAthletics) July 24, 2018