Savaii Seau, the older brother of San Diego Chargers star Junior Seau, died in a car crash at a San Diego suburb earlier this week.
The 56-year-old was driving on Los Coches Road of Lakeside on Tuesday when his Audi A6 drifted into a southbound lane and crashed head-on with a dump truck, the California highway patrol said on Wednesday.
He was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after. His wife, 42, was in the passenger seat and sustained minor to moderate injuries, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper.
The 60-year-old truck driver suffered minor injuries as well.
Seau was found driving without a seat belt, while his wife and the truck driver were wearing one. Authorities are awaiting results from toxicology tests to investigate whether drugs or alcohol factored in the crash.
Seau was a teacher and coach for 14 years at the Warren-Walker school, a private institution that offers education from preschool to class eight. He taught physical education and coached flag football, basketball and track at the middle school campus in Mission Valley.
Raymond Volker, the headmaster at Warren-Walker, said Seau used to teach art during the school’s summer programmes as well.
“The hearts of the entire Warren-Walker School community are heavy as we have lost a great human being, teacher and friend today,” the headmaster said in a statement.
“A fatal car accident has claimed our beloved Coach Seau, who rained love on all of his students, was a bright light in our (school) family, and (was) loved by all. His inspiration, support and incredibly unselfish spirit will be missed by his family as well, and to whom we extend our deepest condolences,” he added.
Seau’s death comes 10 years after his brother and NFL star Junior died by suicide at age 43. He was found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can only be diagnosed after death.
Junior Seau played for 21 years as a linebacker with the Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. He was posthumously elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
