Former Jets defensive lineman Dennis Byrd, who was paralyzed during a game in 1992 but defied doctors’ predictions that he would never walk again, died Saturday in a two-vehicle collision north of Claremore, Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. He was 50.
According to the Tulsa World, Byrd was involved in a collision that sent two others to the hospital in critical condition. A 17-year-old from Claremore driving a 2000 Ford Explorer northbound on Oklahoma 88 swerved into the oncoming lane and struck a 2004 Hummer H2 driven by Byrd, who was pronounced dead at the scene.