Sam Williams had been looking forward to pulling his brand-new car into the players’ parking lot at AT&T Stadium on Christmas Eve to show off his ride for the first time.
Instead he watched the game from home with minor injuries suffered when the car was totaled in a two-vehicle accident in Plano about 18 hours after driving it off the lot.
The rookie defensive end spoke to reporters on Monday about the accident, his injuries, and his status for Thursday night’s game in Nashville, but the thoughts most top of mind for him were of how fortunate he still felt after a frighteningly close call.
“My first thing was like, ‘Thank you, God,'” Williams said at The Star. “Because it could’ve been worse. I was thinking about my son- a lot- and his mom. I could’ve been gone that fast, without seeing them, saying goodbye, anything. And I was going home to them; I think I was five or six minutes from my house.”
The accident occurred Thursday afternoon when the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 that Williams was driving was struck in the driver’s side by another car attempting to turn in front of him.
“I was driving straight,” the second-round draft pick recalled. “All I remember is that previous car went by really fast without yielding. And then I was driving straight, I guess another car went, and I looked over, and I was getting hit from the side, the driver’s side,” Williams said. “And I just held on real tight to the steering wheel and tried to brace myself. And then it stopped, and all I was hearing was, ‘Get out the car, it’s smoking.’ … Once I got out, everybody had their phones out and was like, ‘There’s no way you lived [through] that. There is no way you lived [through] that.'”
Images from crash involving Cowboys' Sam Williams.
From Plano PD: "The driver of the Corvette is Samuel Williams, a football player with the Dallas Cowboys. Both parties were transported to a local hospital for precautionary reasons, but no serious injuries have been reported." pic.twitter.com/81CBkIUnqA
— Jeff Kolb (@JeffKolbFOX4) December 23, 2022
The Corvette’s front wheels were jettisoned in the crash. Debris from the car was scattered across four lanes of traffic. Williams was wearing his seatbelt, but he still bore bruises on his face Monday from the airbag’s deployment.
The Ole Miss product says he and other bystanders attempted to help the other motorist out of her car, but her door was jammed. Both drivers were taken to the hospital as a precaution. Neither had injuries deemed to be serious, but Williams was ruled out of Saturday’s game against Philadelphia with a neck strain and a possible concussion.
“That’s not a phone call you ever want to receive,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told media members on Monday. “We’re just thankful that both Sam and the individual in the other car came out okay.”
Williams has been cleared to return to practice and is trending toward playing Thursday when the Cowboys travel to face the Titans.
The Alabama native has recorded 20 tackles, eight tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, three sacks, three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and a defended pass in 2022. He’s been on the field for about 23% of the team’s defensive snaps this season and over half the special teams unit’s plays.
The 23 year-old has just 13 NFL game appearances under his belt, but he may have already gained a new perspective on things following his roadway scare.
“The accident I look back over, and I am just thankful for life,” Williams shared. “Christmas was right around, and the biggest gift we have is life every day because you never know. I encourage everybody to hug their loved ones. Any dispute with family members? End it because you never know when that day is. Me going through that, I called family members and everybody to check up on them, because like I said, you never know.”
Williams had the right of way, and police have already ruled that neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor in the wreck. Neither car’s speed, however, has been determined as of yet.
“You can’t talk about it enough,” McCarthy said of one the ongoing messages to his players. “I can’t tell you how many times we speak about the driving to the airport, particularly coming home from the airport after a late-night game, getting in late. Got to be careful. It’s definitely an awareness that we talk about quite a bit.”
Williams was saddened by the loss of his car. ‘It’s the one I wanted,” he admitted. “Pretty black. Peanut butter seats. V12 in the back of it.”
Walking away from the wreckage of his dream car was difficult.
But at least he was able to walk away.
Williams knows that what he walked away with is far more valuable, and he assured reporters that it was “just a blessing” to be able to spend this Christmas Day with his family.
“God works in mysterious ways. I know he has something in store for me.”
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