Tigers Outfielder Dustin Peterson Was Nearly 'Decapitated' During Bus Crash While in the Minors
Detroit Tigers outfielder Dustin Peterson came very close to never making the majors.
The 24-year-old who was selected in the second round of the 2013 draft would have never gotten out of the minors if he didn't survive his near-death experience in 2015.
As explained by Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press, Peterson almost lost his life while traveling with the Atlanta Braves Single-A affiliate back in 2015. The team bus got into an accident while attempting a left-hand turn around 3:45 a.m. on May 13 while traveling about 300 miles from Salem, Virginia, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Peterson grabbed the seat in front of him, trying to brace himself: "We hit a berm and it launched us in the air. We were flipping in mid air and landed on the side. David Peterson was a big old pitcher for us, a broad guy, and all his weight—boom—landed on my neck. I was almost killed."
Dustin said the bus skidded for 200 feet. "When we landed, all of the windows shattered on the right side, just blew out," he said. "People's limbs were dragging outside the window. It wasn't asphalt. It was grass and we were near a railroad. I think, if we would have landed on asphalt, anybody was in the window seat would have lost limbs."
After climbing out of the emergency exit, Peterson, five teammates and a trainer went to a hospital near the South Carolina border. The doctor was surprised Peterson was able to walk into his office after the crash. A fracture on his neck was found and he underwent emergency surgery.
Peterson was eventually able to recover from the crash despite the nagging injuries that lingered as a result. In 2018 he was able to make his MLB debut with the Braves, and he appeared in two games for Atlanta before he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Tigers.
He made Detroit's big league team this spring and has played in 13 games already this season. Peterson has two doubles, three RBIs and two runs in 34 plate appearances.
