Ambulances arrived minutes after a bystander called 911 to transport Gators offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil to the hospital.
Mugharbil, an 18-year-old UF psychology freshman, suffered non-life-threatening injuries after he failed to use the proper designated lane at about 9:30 a.m. at Northwest 16th Street, Gainesville Police Department spokesperson Graham Glover said. Failing to stop, the football player crashed into a semi-truck on his scooter when the truck turned right off of West University Avenue.
“He's got some pretty serious road rash because he was dragged a little bit,” Glover said, adding that no traffic citations were filed as of 11:40 a.m. Monday.
Mugharbil was transported to UF Health Shands Hospital and is in stable condition as of Monday morning, Glover said.
Pascal’s Coffeehouse barista Kenechi Anumba, a 20-year-old UF health education and behavior senior, heard a commotion outside of the store as she got ready for work. Anumba watched as construction workers and customers gawked at the scooter underneath the semi-truck.
“I was sitting in this corner and I looked outside and people were standing up and looked concerned,” Anumba said. “I’d been told by the people outside that somebody had gotten hit by a truck and they were on a scooter. And then, after a couple minutes, a police car showed up.”
At a press conference Monday morning, Gators football coach Dan Mullen said he was aware of what happened to Mugharbil. Murgharbil, who signed to UF’s team in December, is not listed on the depth chart for this weekend’s upcoming football game against Florida Atlantic University.
“I don’t have every detail,” Mullen said. “But he’s OK.”
UF has not released a statement regarding the crash as of Monday evening.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Ryan Haley contributed to this report.
Contact Isabella Douglas at idouglas@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @Ad_Scribendum
Isabella Douglas is a fourth-year journalism major and the Fall 2023 editor-in-chief for The Alligator. She has previously worked as the digital managing editor, metro editor, criminal justice reporter and as a news assistant. When she isn't reporting, she can be found reorganizing her bookshelf and adding books to her ever-growing TBR.
