Former NFL player Keion Carpenter died from blunt force trauma to the head, TMZ reported on Wednesday, January 4.
As previously reported, Carpenter died at the age of 39 while on vacation in Miami on December 29. He was playing with his son when he fell near the family’s vehicle.
According to Carpenter’s autopsy, obtained by TMZ, the star was running with his son before the incident occurred. He made a complete stop and grabbed the side mirror before collapsing backwards to the ground.
“He did not make any attempts to stop his fall, striking the back of his head on the ground,” the report says, via TMZ.
Carpenter reportedly regained consciousness in the ambulance and told responders that he felt hot. He had a heart attack while being transported to Jackson South Community Hospital and later slipped into a coma for 24 hours.
The autopsy stated that Carpenter had “several” concussions during his career, but didn’t link his past injuries to his death. Per TMZ, it is still unclear why Carpenter fell.
“It was just a freak accident,” Carpenter’s cousin Jamila Smith told The Baltimore Sun last month. “He was always healthy; he went to the doctor, ate well and worked out.”
Carpenter previously played for the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills before retiring in 2005. He is survived by his wife, Tonia, and four children.
