Kyle Shanahan clarifies to reporters he was at fault in recent car accident

Concerned that erroneous details emerged about his July 14 car crash, Kyle Shanahan called a group of reporters into his office Tuesday to clear up a key piece of the story. Shanahan said he was the one who crossed into oncoming traffic, not the 21-year old driver of the other car.

A California crash database indicated the other driver made an illegal turn, causing the head-on collision in Palo Alto earlier this month. That is incorrect, Shanahan said. He said his cell phone slid off his lap and that he took his eyes off the road to retrieve it between the seats.

As he was coming up with the phone in his hands, the vehicles collided. The 49ers head coach said the airbag broke his nose and the visor, with a metal garage door opener clipped to it, sliced him above his right eye, opening a gash that required more than 40 stitches to close. He also received three broken ribs and a concussion, the symptoms of which he is still dealing with.

“I hit her,” an emotional Shanahan said. “I don’t know why it was reported (the other) way.”

Shanahan said the driver of the other vehicle was not injured.

This story will be updated.