ARLINGTON, Va. -- U.S. soccer forward Charlie Davies underwent surgery on Tuesday afternoon after being involved in a severe one-car accident on the George Washington Parkway in Virginia during the early hours of Tuesday morning.
There was a fatality in the accident, said U.S. Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe.
Davies, 23, who plays for the French club Sochaux, was reported in serious condition after a lengthy surgery at Washington Hospital Center, said hospital spokeswoman So Young Pak.
Buethe initially said that Davies' injuries were "possibly" career-threatening but later clarified the remark.
"At this point, we just don't know the extent of the injuries, so we can't comment on how this affects Charlie's future," Buethe said while Davies was in surgery.
Davies has four goals in 17 caps, and started on Saturday when the U.S. won 3-2 at Honduras to clinch its sixth straight World Cup berth. He made his first U.S. appearance on June 2, 2007, as a substitute against China.
Born in Manchester, N.H., Davies played for Boston College before turning pro in 2006. Davies' parents were in route to Washington on Tuesday, USSF spokesman Michael Kammarman said.
"Obviously, as a team we were saddened to learn this news," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley in a statement posted on the U.S. Soccer Web site. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie and his family, as well as the people in the car and the families of the others involved. As a team, we are relying on each other in a moment that has for sure hit us all hard."
One person died in the accident, which took place at about 3:15 a.m. on Tuesday on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Virginia. The U.S. Park Police identified the fatality as Ashley J. Roberta, 22, of Phoenix, Md., according to Washington's NBC affiliate WRC.
U.S. Park Police Sgt. David Schlosser said there were three people in the car and that Roberta was not the driver. There were three people in the vehicle, and Roberta and Davies were passengers, according to Schlosser and USSF officials. Schlosser didn't identify the driver, who was also taken to Washington Hospital Center Medstar. The cause of the accident remained under investigation.
The U.S. team is in Washington, D.C., for its final qualifier on Wednesday night against Costa Rica.
The players were subject to a team curfew Monday night, Buethe said, and Davies apparently was in violation. There was no mandatory team function until lunch on Tuesday, so officials were not aware of the accident until 11 a.m., just as Davies' surgery was about to begin. Bradley informed the players of the news as they gathered for lunch.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
No comments:
Post a Comment