49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan involved in car crash, suffers several injuries

Yahoo Sports | American Football | 07/26/2026

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a two-car collision on July 14, suffering several injuries, none of which is life-threatening. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

None of the injuries Shanahan suffered is life-threatening, but his duties will be limited during training camp

By Ian Casselberry, Contributing writer

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a car accident last week in which he suffered several injuries, none of which is life-threatening, the team announced Saturday.

Shanahan, 46, sustained a broken nose, three broken ribs and a broken hand. He also required over 40 stitches in his face and suffered a severe concussion, according to ESPN.

General manager John Lynch told reporters Saturday that the team is being cautious with Shanahan’s return to full coaching duties, but did not give a specific timeline.

“Kyle basically is going to be in the protocol,” Lynch said, explaining that the coach will go through a similar process as a player with a concussion.

GM John Lynch on Kyle Shanahan’s health and concussion from a car accident that will sideline him at start of training camp pic.twitter.com/Jw9lu7714d

— Cam Inman (@CamInman) July 25, 2026

In the team statement, the 49ers announced that assistant head coach Chris Foerster would handle Shanahan’s head-coaching duties while he recovers. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer will also take on more responsibilities.

Morris has six seasons of head-coaching experience, three each with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons.

“San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a car accident last week where he suffered non-life-threatening injuries,” the statement read. “Coach Shanahan will participate in team activities on a limited basis at the start of training camp while he recovers. Coach Shanahan and the 49ers organization would like to sincerely thank all first responders involved for their efforts and care.

“Assistant head coach Chris Foerster, along with team coordinators, will handle head coach responsibilities during this period.”

Statement from the San Francisco 49ers. pic.twitter.com/13ugQr94bQ

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) July 25, 2026

The accident occurred on July 14, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Nick Wagoner reported. Shanahan’s vehicle collided with an SUV near his home in Northern California. He was taken by paramedics to a local hospital and spent most of the day there until he was released.

The other driver involved in the accident was not injured, according to Palo Alto police. Drugs and alcohol were not involved, both drivers were cooperative with law enforcement and no one was cited in the collision.

“Consistent with our standard release of information procedures in such cases, we do not release information regarding the cause of the collision, or which party may have been at fault,” said Palo Alto lieutenant Nicholas Martinez, via ESPN.

Shanahan reportedly informed the 49ers assistant coaches of the accident on Tuesday. He has been recovering at home and is apparently recuperating well, but doctors will not clear him to participate in training camp activities until he is free of concussion symptoms. The 49ers open training camp Sunday.

Foerster, 64, is in his second stint with the 49ers, joining Shanahan’s staff in 2019 as a game-planning assistant before being promoted to offensive line coach. He added run-coordinator duties in 2022, and three seasons later he was moved up to assistant head coach.

Shanahan is going into his 10th season as 49ers head coach and has compiled an 82-67 regular-season record. He is 11 victories away from overtaking Bill Walsh for second on the team’s all-time list and 17 away from the most in franchise history.