Grand Valley State Player Hits Teammate With Pickup Truck Going 5 MPH, Sidelines Him for Four to Six Weeks

Grand Valley State Which is worse — that a college player knocked a teammate out of football for about half a season with his pickup truck, or that the truck was only going 5 mph when it messed up the shoulder, neck and back of the 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman?

Accidents can happen in any variety and at any speed, and Grand Valley State has found that out the hard way.

Starting defensive lineman Isiah Dunning will miss four to six weeks after being hit by teammate Zach Jolly‘s pickup truck, according to mlive.com.

The accident happened last week, after the team stretched together around 8 a.m. Friday and then headed over to the campus cafeteria for breakfast.

“Isiah was walking along the grass, stepped out from the curb, and Zach Jolly, one of our guys, struck him with a pickup truck,” coach Matt Mitchell said. “EMS was called, and it was kind of bad at the time, but after the X-rays and CAT scans, it was nothing life-threatening. But he will be out four to six weeks, and that’s very tough.”

A local police department captain said no fault was assigned in the incident, which happened after Jolly moved his truck to avoid a vehicle coming in the opposite direction. Jolly was only going 5 mph, but the hit was hard enough that Dunning was sent to the hospital by ambulance. He had a dislocated right shoulder, neck pain and back spasms, according to mlive.com.

“It was just one of those things that happens out of nowhere — I was just hit and was falling toward the ground,” Dunning said. “My face was falling toward the curb, and I put my right arm out to break my fall, and that’s when my shoulder dislocated. … I know it wasn’t intentional. I know Jolly. He’s a good guy.”

Dunning played in 11 games last season, starting two. He had 14 tackles and was expected to start this year on a shored-up defensive line. Jolly is a redshirt freshman who plays backup offensive tackle.

“Very bizarre situation,” Mitchell said. “Frustrating. Very frustrating for everyone.”

But at least one player can tell opponents he knows what it’s like to be hit by a truck.

Photo via Twitter/@jrtager