Accident Leaves Henning’s Son With Damaged Pelvis, Nerve

The medical update on Mike Henning, son of Charger Coach Dan Henning, was not particularly bright the day after the younger Henning tipped over in a Jeep while driving in the Anza Borrego Desert.

Dan Henning said his son suffered a cracked pelvis and a compression of the perineal nerve (which runs through the leg) when pinned under the vehicle.

“He doesn’t have full flexion of his foot right now, and that may take a little while to come back,” Henning said.

Henning missed the Chargers’ Tuesday afternoon practice after learning of the accident. “The first thing I heard was that he was out in the desert pinned underneath a Jeep, and they didn’t know where he was,” Henning said. “All kinds of things were going through my mind.”

Mike Henning, 16, hopes to compete at quarterback for University High as a junior this fall. His father said it would probably be eight weeks before he can play competitively. One of his Sharp Memorial Hospital visitors Wednesday was University High Coach Ron Hamamoto.

Two months ago, Henning had taken his two sons--Mike and Danny--into the same area of the desert. And when the female passenger in the jeep phoned in the accident, Danny knew where it had to be. That enabled rescue squads to arrive quickly.

According to Henning, the 15-year-old girl, a friend of Mike’s, had to run a mile without shoes to get to the phone. “She was kinda shook up,” Henning said.

Henning said his son told him the accident occurred while the vehicle was moving slowly. “The most you can be driving (out there) at any time, whether you want to or not, is 10 miles an hour,” Henning said. “And the way he explained it, they hit a little depression, and the car--he said they were hardly even moving--the car tipped over. They thought they were going to get out, but all of a sudden they got pinned. She (the girl) was skinny enough to slip out.”