Getty Dwayne Haskins warms up before a preseason game.
New 911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports answers the most-asked question surrounding Dwayne Haskins’ tragic death: Why was Haskins walking on a congested highway?
On Saturday, April 9, Haskins’ wife, Kalabrya, phoned police from Pittsburgh, Pa. She expressed concern for her husband, whose car was stranded on the highway. She told dispatch Haskins had called her from the side of the road near I-95 in Broward County, Fla. Haskins had abandoned his car and was walking on the highway in search of gas.
In the chilling 911 call, which lasted about two minutes, Kalabyra said, “He said he was going to call me back after he finished putting the gas in,” but she says Haskins never did.
“I kept calling and kept calling,” Kalabyra said. “He wasn’t answering. Eventually, after 10 minutes of calling the phone, eventually it cut off. It’s not working now. I had his location. I just want somebody to go in the area and see if his car is there and if he’s OK and if anything happened to him.”
Toward the end of the call, the officer calmly explained an incident reported in the vicinity where Kalabyra described Haskins as walking.
“I don’t want you to panic, but I’m going to be honest with you,” dispatch said. “We do have an incident on the highway — but I can’t confirm if that’s your husband or not… We have units en route right now. I think rescue just got on scene. Hang tight.”
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Eye Witness Reports
In a newly-released separate call to 911, a frantic witness called dispatch moments before the accident, repeatedly shouting, “What the f— is wrong with you? Get the f— out of the road!”
Seconds later, the witness begins sobbing and eventually tells dispatch, “There was a man hit in front of me. I was traveling on the road, and I saw a dump truck hit the man.”
Both calls corroborate an April 10 report of a witness who claimed to have seen a man — later confirmed as Haskins — walking on the highway.
NBC 6 South Florida first reported Chris Stanley was on his way home from the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. airport when he saw vehicles veering into his lane, and a man with arms raised drifting into the highway.
A concerned Stanley put a call into the police at 6:31 a.m., six minutes before FHP officials said the accident was reported.
“He was about halfway, to a quarter way in the right lane, already onto the highway, and I was already concerned that somebody was going to strike him right there at that moment,” Stanley told NBC 6.
Crash Report Documents
A Florida Highway Patrol crash report, also obtained by TMZ, documents that Haskins was hit by two vehicles in the tragic accident. Investigators note that Haskins was struck by a second vehicle after the dump truck and a third vehicle was possibly involved.
The report also stated that both drivers stopped after hitting Haskins, and “neither driver was tested for alcohol nor drugs,” as reported by TMZ.
Officials say that Haskins, 24, was pronounced dead minutes after the accident.
Armando Salguero, senior NFL writer for Outkick and resident of South Florida, posted a tweet providing further information: “According to FHP official accident report, truck that hit and killed Dwayne Haskins took evasive maneuver to try to avoid hitting him. According to witness another ‘vehicle was possibly involved’ but no further info on that.”
FHP report on Dwayne Haskins death…
Celebration of Life
The Pittsburgh Steelers released a statement on behalf of Kalabrya Haskins on April 19 clarifying official services for Dwayne Haskins, Jr.
“I want to thank everyone for their continuous outpour of kindness and love for my husband during this extremely difficult time.
For those that have asked for clarity, regarding official services, there will be a public celebration of life for my husband, Dwayne Haskins, Jr., where his legacy will be honored with stories told from teammates, coaches, friends, family and loved ones.
Visitation will be Friday, April 22, from 9-11 a.m. with a full service immediately following from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church in Pittsburgh, Pa. Flowers are being accepted at the church.”
A message from Kalabrya Haskins (April 19):
