Former American footballer Dennis Byrd, 50

Dennis Byrd, a former American football player whose career was ended by a neck injury, has been killed in a car accident at the age of 50.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said a 17-yearold youth driving a Ford Explorer northbound on Oklahoma 88 veered into the oncoming lane, striking the Hummer H2 Mr Byrd was driving.

Mr Byrd, who played for the New York Jets, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 17-year-old driver and a 12-year-old passenger in his vehicle were taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa in a critical condition.

Mr Byrd was midway through his fourth NFL season when he was briefly paralysed during a game against Kansas City on November 29 1992.

He broke his neck after slamming head first into the chest of team-mate Scott Mersereau as Chiefs quarterback David Krieg stepped forward to avoid a sack.

The impact broke the C5 vertebra in Mr Byrd’s neck, leaving him unable to walk for a few weeks.

After a vigorous rehabilitation, he returned for the Jets’ opening game the following season and walked to midfield as an honorary captain.

He never fully recovered from the injury, walking with some difficulty and going through continuous rehabilitation during the years since.

Mr Byrd, a devout Christian, wrote a book in 1993 called Rise and Walk, which detailed how he relied on his faith and family to push through his injury to recover and serve as an inspiration to others who went through similar situations.

His story was later turned into a made-for-TV movie, with actor-director Peter Berg playing Mr Byrd.

Dennis Byrd died in a car crash.