Clemson football player charged after collision that severely injured mail carrier
A Clemson football player has been arrested after police say he collided with a mail truck, injuring two people in the crash.
Fredrick Davis, 19, a sophomore cornerback for the Tigers, turned himself in to Clemson police on Sunday to face a charge of reckless driving, the Clemson Police Department announced in a statement.
Davis is accused of driving 60 miles over the posted speed limit on July 21 when he collided with the rear of a U.S. Mail carrier on U.S. 123 in Clemson. WSPA TV reported the collision occurred around 3 p.m. that day between the Berkley Drive and U.S. 93 overpasses.
Davis was unable to stop due to his speed at the time, police said. The football player is accused of driving 115 mph in a 55 mph zone.
The force of the impact caused the mail truck to flip over into oncoming traffic. Two other vehicles then collided with each other while attempting to avoid the mail truck, WSPA reported.
The Dodge Charger that Davis was reportedly driving then traveled over both lanes of traffic, went over a guardrail and came to rest on the shoulder of the highway.
Two drivers were taken to the hospital after the crash, and police say the mail carrier was severely injured.
“The injuries the mail carrier sustained in this crash are severe and will require several months or longer for recovery,” police said it the Sunday statement.
Davis didn’t report any sustained injuries at the time of the collision, per a Clemson football spokesperson. Davis received a bond hearing Sunday and was released.
“Fred Davis remains with the program but will be subject to internal discipline,” the spokesperson told The State. “Grounds for internal discipline for misdemeanor charges like this are covered under the terms of the Clemson Student-Athlete Handbook, which says that the head coach can recommend a course of action, and upon concurrence of the designated (Clemson University Athletics Department) administrator, administer sanctions.”
During his first season at Clemson in 2020, Davis made 13 tackles with two pass breakups in 11 games played. The Florida native was a four-star recruit coming out of Trinity Christian Academy and committed to the Tigers on April 8, 2019.
Police Chief Jorge Campos, in the statement, said Davis’ arrest followed a reconstruction of the crash by analysts based on physical evidence and eyewitness statements, leading to probable cause to charge the cornerback.
Campos noted that South Carolina does not have an enhancement charge for reckless driving that results in an injury.
“In most cases, the injured suffer much pain, multiple medical procedures, lengthy recovery times, and whose freedom to live life injury-free are taken from them,” Campos said. “The offender, especially if they are not hurt, currently only have a few hurdles to navigate and get to live life freely, which the injured do not.”
This story was originally published August 1, 2021 at 1:21 PM.
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