Girard ends up with only minor neck pain as result of one-car accident

Former Nashville Predators defenseman Samuel Girard was involved in a one-car accident when he fell asleep while driving over the weekend.

He was uninjured other than some minor neck pain, according to a report by Le Quotidien, in the incident, which happened Sunday in Quebec.

"He fell asleep. He blinked. It happens quickly, these things," Girard’s father, Tony, told the French Canadian news outlet, according to TSN.ca. "It must be said that he had a very big weekend. He has been involved in two big causes for children and has also been to Relay For Life in Saint-Félicien.

“Usually, these hockey players there, it's a nap in the afternoon. He was very tired."

The Predators selected Girard in the second round of the 2016 entry draft. He made his NHL debut as a 19-year-old in Nashville’s 2017-18 home opener and appeared in five games before he was shipped to Colorado in a three-team trade that ended with center Kyle Turris joining the Predators.

Girard played another 68 games for the Avalanche and finished the season with 23 points (four goals, 19 assists).