FC Dallas defender Ryan Hollingshead suffered three broken vertebrae in his neck after being hit by a car, the MLS team announced on Monday.
Hollingshead was helping another driver who had crashed in icy conditions on Friday when another vehicle struck him.
The team said he will need to be in a neck brace for six to eight weeks, but the fractures "do not risk spinal cord damage or loss of function."
The 25-year-old will not need surgery and was released from the hospital on Sunday.
Get well soon, @rmhollingshead!
His son Huck is helping ease the pain. pic.twitter.com/TwtQoFjbXu
- FC Dallas (@FCDallas) January 9, 2017
"The entire FC Dallas family is thinking of Ryan and his wife, Taylor," FC Dallas president Dan Hunt said in a statement. "We are praying for a swift recovery and are looking forward to seeing him back on the pitch for our club."
Teammate Tesho Akindele also talked with Hollingshead at the hospital and told Fox 4 News it was "kind of a miracle" his injuries weren't more serious.
"He said he got hit about 30 feet in the air, landed, and his first thought was, 'I'm probably dead. I'm dead or I'm paralyzed,'" Akindele said.
Hollingshead is the second MLS player to be injured in a car in a month after Vancouver defender David Edgar was involved in a hit-and-run on Dec. 17. Edgar suffered a knee injury and will be sidelined until the fall.