An FC Dallas defender fractured three vertebrae in his neck when he was hit by a car on an icy road last week, the team confirmed Monday.
Ryan Hollingshead was helping a wrecked motorist in Irving when he was hit by another car. The accident was “caused by icy road conditions” in Irving, according to the FC Dallas.
Hollingshead, 25, is expected to spend six to eight weeks in a neck brace. He won’t have surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
He was released from a local hospital Sunday evening.
“The entire FC Dallas family is thinking of Ryan and his wife, Taylor,” said FC Dallas president Dan Hunt. “We are praying for a swift recovery and are looking forward to seeing him back on the pitch for our club.”
Hollingshead started 22 games for the Western Conference champion FC Dallas, scoring two goals on 22 shots.
FC Dallas drafted Hollingshead with the 20th pick in the 2013 draft, but decided to forego that season to help build a church in Sacramento, Calif., according to his biography on the team website.
FC Dallas begins 2017 play with a CONCACAF match Feb. 23 against Panama's Arabe Unido. The MLS opener is March 4 and the club's home opener is March 18.
.@FCDallas player hit by a car on an icy road; to miss 6-8 weeks with fractured vertebrae https://t.co/v2wr1aJtGY pic.twitter.com/AIBkUVj6hm
— WFAA-TV (@wfaachannel8) January 9, 2017
