Culpepper sustains hand bruise in auto accident

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http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...r-injury_N.htm

MIAMI (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper said Thursday that he slightly bruised his left, non-throwing hand in a two-car accident, but escaped serious injury.

"I am fine," Culpepper said in an e-mail to the Associated Press.

Culpepper said the vintage Chevrolet car he was driving was rear-ended by another motorist late Wednesday night on a South Florida highway. He said the top of his left hand was bruised and he got X-rays as a precaution.

"The real problem is that the guy damaged my 1975 convertible Caprice Classic," Culpepper said.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident happened at 10:13 p.m. on the Sawgrass Expressway. Culpepper told officers on the scene that he'd pulled over to the side of the rain-slicked road because he thought the car had a mechanical problem. He then pulled back onto the highway, telling officers he was using his emergency flashers.

The driver of the other vehicle, Gary Wolfe of Coral Springs, Fla., told the FHP that Culpepper was not using his flashers and was traveling too slowly. Charges may be pending and the investigation is continuing, officials said.

"We've spoken to Daunte and he assured us he was fine," said Dolphins spokesman Harvey Greene.

Culpepper was Miami's starting quarterback for the first four games of the 2006 season, before the Dolphins shut him down because of his ongoing knee problems. Culpepper needed reconstructive surgery after tearing knee ligaments while playing for the Minnesota Vikings in 2005, then was traded to the Dolphins after that season.

His rehab from the knee injury is ongoing, but he was cleared to resume football workouts earlier this month.

Culpepper has asked the Dolphins to release him from his contract so he can compete to be a starting quarterback elsewhere this season. The Dolphins have told Culpepper that they want to trade him, and last week acquired Trent Green— who's almost certain to be this year's first-string quarterback — from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a draft pick.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[ThreeSportStar80]

He's fortunate it wasn't his throwing hand...