Dwayne Haskins told his wife he was walking to get gas before he was fatally struck by a dump truck on a Florida interstate highway, according to a recording of a 911 call from the morning of his death obtained by the Associated Press.
Kalabrya Haskins reportedly called 911 from Pittsburgh the morning of April 9 unaware there had been an accident, telling the Florida Highway Patrol dispatcher her husband said he was stuck on the side of the highway and would call her back when he returned.
When Haskins didn't return, Kalabrya said she tried to call him and received no answer. She requested the dispatcher send "somebody to go in the area and see if his car is there and if he’s OK and if anything happened to him."
By that point, the highway patrol had reportedly received numerous calls about the fatal accident, but the dispatcher could not confirm Haskins was the person who had been struck and killed.
From the AP:
“I don’t want you to panic, but I am going to be honest with you,” the dispatcher told Kalabrya Haskins. “We do have an incident on the highway, but I can’t confirm if that’s your husband or not.”
The dispatcher then told her to “hang tight” while she tried to get more information. While on hold, Kalabrya Haskins starts crying and praying, but her words were mostly unintelligible.
“Please Lord, please Lord,” she said.
According to ESPN, a final accident report released Wednesday concluded Haskins was improperly on the roadway when he entered the travel lanes and into the path of the dump truck, which was traveling in the center lane. The investigating officer found the driver of the dump truck had not taken action that contributed to the accident.
Haskins was also reportedly struck by a second car after the first impact. That car had taken evasive maneuvers to avoid Haskins, but partially hit him on its right side undercarriage. A third vehicle may also have reportedly been involved according to a witness.
Haskins was found dead at the scene by a fire department captain at 6:48 a.m.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback had been in Florida to train with his teammates during the offseason. A Heisman Trophy finalist at Ohio State, he spent the previous season as a back-up in Pittsburgh after his release from the Washington Commanders, who drafted him in the first round, 15th overall, in the 2019 NFL draft.
