— Former Duke quarterback Anthony Boone’s life changed forever after a head-on collision in Weddington with Carolina Panthers’ linebacker Shaq Thompson on May 22.

Boone began that Sunday morning like many others before, stopping for breakfast and traveling down Potter Road en route to D1 Sports Training in Matthews – a suburb outside of Charlotte – to train quarterbacks.

Twelve clients were scheduled to train with Boone at D1 on the day of the crash, with the first session slated for 8 a.m.

Boone – who recently moved to Winston-Salem from Weddington – was visiting his family after working out for the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos the day prior in Durham.

Officials said Thompson’s 2016 Chevrolet SUV crossed the centerline of Potter Road around 7:45 a.m. and collided with Boone’s 2004 Lexus SUV.

Thompson reached for his cell phone after dropping it on the floorboard of his vehicle, which caused the second-year Panthers linebacker to veer into the centerline and collide with Boone, according to authorities.

Officials said Thompson, who had no prior relationship with Boone, did have alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, but it was not a factor in the collision.

“Freak accidents happen, and that’s just what life deals sometimes. There’s always a lesson to be learned in life,” Boone said. “I may not know the answer to what this lesson is from the accident, but somewhere along the way of my recovery, my process I will learn, and he [Thompson] will learn.

“I wish he made a better decision, but at the end of the day I’m alive, he’s alive and that’s all I can be thankful for. There’s obviously a hidden blessing within this whole situation.”

Boone says he remembers Thompson’s car swerving into the middle of Potter Road and trying to over correct – everything else is a blur.

“I still try to figure out how exactly this all happened,” Boone said. “It’s still kind of crazy to me; it was definitely a scary moment. It felt like it wasn’t going to be an accident but obviously it was a huge collision.”

Potter Road – located within Union County – is a windy, lowly lit road that offers little opportunity to maneuver if the need presents itself.

In Boone’s case, he seemingly had no option but to absorb the hit from Thompson’s vehicle.

“I’m pretty sure I came to the realization that I was going to get hit. I couldn’t slam on the brakes because there was a car behind me,” Boone said. “I just tried to avoid him as best as I could. I’m not sure if my body tensed up or if I had a reaction from slamming on the brakes.

“Once I saw his car move, I went into protection mode and blacked out I guess.”

The accident was the second collision Boone has been involved in, but his first as a driver. Ironically, the driver in the first accident – during Boone’s senior year of high school – ran into the back of a vehicle while looking at her phone.

Boone said he stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast and an orange juice before continuing to the training facility. He never had the chance to eat before the accident.

When Boone’s father arrived at the scene of the crash, he initially believed that the ketchup on the dashboard and remnants of food were fragments of his son’s body.

Boone was rushed to Carolinas Medical Center in downtown Charlotte following the head-on collision. He suffered a broken pelvis and ribs and was immediately operated on to repair nerve damage in his non-throwing hand; Thompson was not injured in the accident.

Once Boone was awake and alert in the hospital, his father told him “Shaq” was the driver in the other car. Boone said he immediately thought it was his college teammate, Shaquille Powell, a former running back at Duke.

Boone’s agent, Adam Sattler, said in June that Thompson reached out to his client via social media following the accident.

“At this point there hasn’t been much communication, obviously at some point there will be,” Boone said. “I wouldn’t say there’s bad blood, there’s no vendetta. It’s an accident. It can happen to anybody. People make mistakes, and I feel like if you live your life angry at somebody that you’re not bettering yourself.”

Three months after surgery and release from the hospital, Boone is continuing his rehab in hopes to return to the football field.

“It’s definitely a possibility, but it’s going to be a very tough road because of the extent of my injuries,” Boone said. “I’m still young, so I’m still wanting to play. I feel like my body is taking everything pretty well.”

Boone is receiving therapy and rehabilitation on his surgically repaired hand, and he is currently waiting on the green light from doctors to begin rehab on his leg and hip.

During the waiting period, Boone is on strict restrictive non-weight bearing orders. He has been confined to the use of either a walker or wheelchair for the past three months. Doctors have told Boone he has roughly another month before he will be cleared to walk without assistance.

Boone said the full recovery time for his lower-body injuries could vary from six months to a year.

“It’s one of those things where, once I’m cleared I’ll have to be pretty aggressive and pretty hard about what I’m doing, and making sure that I’m eating right and doing everything I’m supposed to get myself back to being a professional athlete,” he said. “It’s going to be tough, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Boone said his mindset toward the recovery process would’ve been drastically different had he not received unwavering support from friends and family.

His girlfriend, who was expecting his first child, would drive to Charlotte from Winston-Salem almost every day to visit him in the hospital.

“She’d come up here and go to work and come back at night,” Boone said. “That kind of stuff kept me going.”

Former Duke teammate, best friend by Boone’s side after crash

Among the friends and family that were by his bedside on May 22 included former Duke offensive coordinator Kurt Roper – and his wife – and former Duke and current Carolina Panthers tight end Braxton Deaver.

“We have been very close for most of our lives,” Deaver said. “I saw him that night, patted him on the head and said, ‘Hey, you should’ve had your seat belt on.’ I’m just over the moon that he’s recovering.”

Boone and Deaver – roommates at Duke during Boone’s final two seasons – have remained close friends since their time as teammates at Weddington Middle School.

“I speak with him on a regular basis, and we’ll be friends forever,” Deaver said. “He’s a great guy and I’m just thankful that he’s going to make it and be OK.”

Deaver was Boone’s backup at quarterback in the seventh grade, but his career under center would be short-lived.

“He finally got to play in a game because we were killing somebody, broke his collarbone and was like, ‘I don’t ever want to play quarterback again,’” Boone said.

Deaver switched to wide receiver the following year and the two friends became Weddington’s dynamic duo in their final season of middle school.

“We tore it up; we probably had 45 touchdowns together – it was something crazy,” Boone said.

Boone and Deaver were separated in high school due to redistricting in the Charlotte area. Deaver attended Providence High School and Boone became a standout quarterback at Weddington.

The two rekindled old flames during a football camp as seniors in high school and decided to reunite after both received offers from Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe.

Birth of daughter helps Boone through challenges after accident, surgeries

The days and weeks immediately after Boone’s accident were some of the most difficult in his life, coming to grips with the realization that he may never play football professionally again.

“When I first got out of the hospital and I was trying to move around, the pain was really bad,” he said. “There were a few nights where I’d wake up at 4 a.m. in tears because I couldn’t move and it was hard to breathe.”

Boone said small daily tasks – putting on socks and bathing – were too much to bear and required the assistance of others.

As someone who prides himself as an independent adult, Boone said having to rely on others for help made him question if he would ever return to where he was physically.

“There were times when I didn’t understand why this had happened to me and what I did to deserve this,” he said. “I was trying to chase my dream and play professional sports. There were obviously times in my mind where I was like, ‘There is no way I’m going to get back to being who I was with playing ball again.’”

However, an addition to his life in July has given the 24-year-old a new perspective on his road to recovery.

Boone became a father on July 22 with the birth of his first daughter, Camrynn Boone.

“The closer I got to my child’s due date, there was a bigger picture,” he said. “Ever since she’s been here, she’s been the joy of my mornings and my nights, even when I don’t get any sleep. It’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Boone his daughter has refocused his energy and shined a light on what’s most important – taking care of her and his girlfriend.

“Whether it be in Canada, whether it be in the NFL, nothing is going to stop me from getting there because I want to take care of her [Camrynn] and my girl as well,” he said.

After visits this month with multiple doctors, Boone said he plans on traveling to Duke to work with physical trainers that aided in Peyton Manning’s return to football, and previously helped him return to the field after a broken collarbone in college.

“Even when I get cleared, it will still be a process. When something is surgically repaired, you have to go through regaining flexibility and balance,” Boone said. “You’re trying to regain your strength and motion that you’re used to.

“It’s going to be tough, because I’ve never had anything this extensive. I’m not the most patient person out there, but I know for a fact that when I have a chance to get back to it I’ll be running it out.”