San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is expected to be on the sideline Thursday for the team's first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium. If there were a spot on the injury report for Shanahan, the head coach would be listed as day-to-day with a concussion from a non-football related activity. Shanahan was involved in a car accident where he suffered multiple "non-life-threatening injuries", according to a team statement. Niners general manager John Lynch told reporters that Shanahan had a broken nose, broken ribs, a couple of black eyes and a concussion. The injuries limited him at the start of 49ers training camp but the 46-year-old Shanahan says he has been feeling "so much better" since the crash. "I'm doing really good. My body feels good. Just got to get this annoying cast off. My ribs feel good, except when I sneeze, and my head feels so much better," Shanahan told reporters after an Aug. 8 practice. "Concussions do linger a little bit. The only things I really deal with now are just headaches and fatigue. That's why I'm not always exactly on the same routine, but pretty damn close." Five days later, he's expected to be on the sideline to start the 2026 season, even if it is just preseason. Shanahan is in his 10th season with the team. He has a regular season record of 82-46 and a 9-5 mark in the postseason. He has taken San Francisco to the Super Bowl twice, in 2019 and 2023, both losses coming to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kyle Shanahan car crash timeline: Here's an event timeline of the Kyle Shanahan car accident.
July 14, 2026: Dispatch received a call about a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Alma Street and Hamilton Avenue near Stanford University, Palo Alto Police Department Lt. Nicolas Martinez told USA TODAY Sports. Two drivers were involved in the collision, and one was transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the crash. Martinez added that there was no impairment suspected and both drivers remained on the scene and were cooperative with police. No one was cited for the collision. July 25, 2026: The 49ers release a statement on the accident: "San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a car accident last week where he suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Coach Shanahan will participate in team activities on a limited basis at the start of training camp while he recovers. Coach Shanahan and the 49ers organization would like to sincerely thank all first responders involved for their efforts and care." July 25, 2026: General manager John Lynch reveals Shanahan suffered suffered a broken nose, broken ribs, a couple of black eyes and a concussion. July 28, 2026: Shanahan speaks publicly for the first time since the accident, says he was at fault, not the 21-year-old woman. He also clarified that he dropped his phone between his seat and went to reach for it, taking his eyes off the road. Shanahan said he was driving 20 mph. Aug. 8, 2026: Shanahan further shared that he was driving his SUV on autopilot before the accident occurred. "Dropping a phone, it falling all the way to my back seat to where I have to fully take my eyes off the road. It's something that I normally wouldn’t do. I've had autopilot for nine years, so I'm pretty comfortable with it," he told reporters. "Who knows what happened when I turned around? Whether it malfunctioned or whether I knocked it off, that's something I don't know yet. But regardless, it is always your fault, whether you're on autopilot or not. You can't take your eyes off the road." Aug. 8, 2026: Shanahan confirms he'll be on the sideline for NFL Preseason Week 1. "Oh, yeah. I’m doing the same stuff, guys. I just try not to come in here every single day because I want to be able to pull off my normal routine, which is watching hours and hours of tape and getting to the walk-through at night, being able to watch stuff after that. Eventually, I will get there. I would’ve told you I was there seven days ago and they’re like, ‘Just chill. Wait to see how you feel tomorrow.’ Then I wake up the next morning and I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m glad I didn’t say that.’ Because sometimes it’s a good day and sometimes the next day’s a little bit harder. As far as the stuff that I think is the most important parts of my job, I’ve been doing that since day one."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan car crash, timeline of events