York County deputy – a former Carolina Panther – injured in traffic crash

A York County Sheriff’s Office deputy who used to be a NFL long snapper with the Carolina Panthers was injured Wednesday when his patrol car was hit after he stopped to help a stranded motorist.

Deputy Mark Rodenhauser, 56, had stopped to help a motorist Wednesday morning on S.C. 49 near York just before 9 a.m. when another vehicle hit his patrol car, said Trent Faris, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

Rodenhauser suffered a gash to his head, and was hospitalized for treatment of the cut, Faris said. He is expected to be fine, Faris said.

“We are thankful it was not worse,” Faris said. “He had only stopped to help someone.”

The incident happened on S.C. 49 near the intersection of S.C. 5. Rodenhauser works court security at both the Moss Justice Center, near the crash site, and the York County Courthouse in downtown York.

Troopers with the S.C. Highway Patrol charged the driver of the car who ran into the back of Rodenhauser’s patrol car with driving too fast for conditions, said Lance Cpl. Gary Miller of the Highway Patrol.

Rodenhauser, a deputy since 2011, is a former NFL player who was a long snapper for many teams in a 13-year NFL career, including three seasons in the 1990s with the Carolina Panthers when the team first entered the league as an expansion franchise. He is assigned to the court security unit and also is on the department’s mounted patrol, Faris said.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 9:48 AM with the headline "York County deputy – a former Carolina Panther – injured in traffic crash."