Football player involved in scooter accident near Raleigh Road

CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error, a previous version of this story incorrectly stated how the accident occurred. Daniel Downing hit the car in front of him while driving a motor scooter. The story has been updated to reflect this change. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

UPDATE (10 a.m. Thursday): Sophomore Daniel Downing was issued a traffic citation for failure to reduce speed that resulted in the crash Wednesday morning, according to Randy Young, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. 

The driver in front of Downing dutifully stopped to allow pedestrians to proceed through a crosswalk, Young said, and Downing failed to slow his motor scooter in time, causing him crash into the rear of the car. 

Downing was taken to UNC Hospitals, treated and released.

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UPDATE (2:43 p.m.): Sophomore Daniel Downing was the football player injured in Wednesday's motorized scooter crash, confirmed Kevin Best, a spokesman for the football team.

Downing is an economics major and a safety on the North Carolina football team. He walked on before the 2013 season.

Prior to attending UNC, Downing was listed as a wide receiver for Coastal Carolina University. In high school, Downing led his Northern Guilford team to a state championship. North Carolina tailback T.J. Logan played on the Northern Guilford championship team with Downing.

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The Department of Public Safety responded to a scooter crash involving a UNC football player Wednesday morning at approximately 8:45 a.m., according to witnesses.

Student witnesses said the football player collided with a black sports car driven by an older man on Raleigh Road.

"He was laying on his side, and his scooter was kind of laying on its side," said Laura Fellwock, a UNC junior who witnessed the crash on her way to class Wednesday. "His eyes were closed, they rolled him onto his back."

DPS responded to the incident. Fellwock said three police officers arrived as a woman assisted the student. Fellwock said she heard the woman tell police officers that the individual was breathing.

"There was a helmet sitting next to him," Fellwock said. "So I'm assuming he was wearing it."

Fellwock works for GoHeels.com but was not speaking on behalf of the Department of Athletics.

Kevin Best, a spokesman for the football team, confirmed the student involved in the crash was a football player. He could not yet confirm the name of the player.

Randy Young, a spokesman for DPS, did not return multiple calls requesting comment. An operator at DPS said a report for the incident would not be filed until Thursday.

Fellwock said she noticed damage to the scooter but no major damage to the car or debris in the road.

This is a developing story. The Daily Tar Heel will update with new information as it becomes available.

Assistant Sports Editor Carlos Collazo contributed reporting.

university@dailytarheel.com