Buses carrying Washington Redskins in pregame crash

[November 03, 2014]  By John Clarke
 
 (Reuters) - Two buses carrying the National Football League's Washington Redskins crashed on Sunday morning on a highway exit ramp in Minneapolis on the way to play against the Minnesota Vikings, according to state police.

The accident, which caused no major injuries, occurred around 8:15 a.m. when one of the state police squad cars escorting the team crashed into a guard rail and came to rest in front of the buses, causing one bus to rear end the other, said Lieutenant Eric Roeske, a state police spokesman.

One officer and several team staff and players suffered minor injuries, Roeske said, and none of them were taken to the hospital.

The crash happened less than a half mile from TCF Bank Stadium, home to the Vikings.

The Redskins Twitter account said the coaches, players and staff arrived safely at the stadium around 9:30 a.m.

Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon posted a photo on Twitter showing the bus with a smashed windshield, with police and firefighters standing over a stretcher. "So this just happened," he said. "But we are OK."

The team later lost to the Vikings 29-26.

(Reporting John Clarke in Washington; Editing by Frank McGurty and Chris Reese)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.