Seahawk Player Probably Paralyzed : Football: There is a dispute over who was driving the vehicle that hit a utility pole. Defensive lineman Mike Frier’s injuries are the most serious.

A car accident involving three Seattle Seahawk football players will probably leave one of them paralyzed and another possibly facing criminal charges.

Running back Chris Warren was arrested and could be charged with vehicular assault as a result of the accident Thursday night, in which defensive lineman Mike Frier suffered a broken and dislocated neck, leaving him without the use of his legs and limited use of his arms and hands.

When police arrested Warren, they identified him as having been the driver. But statements Friday from the agents for Warren and the car’s third occupant, rookie Lamar Smith, said Smith, not Warren, had been driving.

In a statement released through the Seahawks, Warren’s agent and attorney, Rick Schaeffer, said, “Chris was not the owner of the automobile nor was he driving it at the time of the accident.”

Another statement, from Eugene Parker, Smith’s agent, said, “Lamar Smith was the driver in the accident.”

Local news reports say passersby saw empty beer cans in the wreckage. Detective Jim O’Toole of the Kirkland police said he was not certain who had been driving and that the investigation was continuing. He also said, “There is reason to believe alcohol was involved.”

Warren was treated at Overlake Hospital here for broken ribs and left the hospital early Friday. After his arrest, he was released on his own recognizance. He has not been charged.

Smith suffered a broken foot and was to have been released from the hospital by the end of the day.

Frier, however, may be paralyzed for life.

“The likelihood that he will play football again is zero,” neurosurgeon Michael Schlitt said at a news conference. “Even if he were to make a recovery, I would advise him against ever playing again. The likelihood of (his) walking is very poor. . . . It’s doubtful he will have completely normal function of the hands.”

Schlitt added that Frier would “almost certainly be wheelchair-dependent.”

Frier, 25, underwent 2 1/2 hours of surgery Friday, in which doctors realigned and fused his injured spinal column.

Tom Flores, Seahawk coach and general manager, said he had addressed the team Friday morning.

“I asked for their prayers,” he said. “That’s all we can do at this point because it’s not in our hands. It’s a terrible thing that happened. . . . There is a tremendous shock in that locker room right now.”

Said defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy: “Mike Frier is a friend of mine and a good football player. This is just mind-boggling and it hurts, it hurts a lot.”

Added offensive tackle Ray Roberts: “It’s really tough. Some of the guys tried hard not to let it bother them, but it bothered them. There were some tears. It’s been pretty emotional.”

The accident occurred a few blocks from the Seahawks’ Kirkland training complex about 8:40 on a rainy night. The driver apparently tried to pass a slower vehicle and swerved to avoid a median island, slamming the players’ vehicle into a wooden power pole.

Police Sgt. Mark Smith said it appeared that the car was going too fast for the rain-slicked road. The crash set the utility pole afire and the players had to be pulled from the vehicle by passersby and firefighters, he said.

A spokesman for the King County prosecutor’s office said a vehicular assault charge is fairly standard whenever there is evidence of reckless driving or the presence of alcohol or drugs in an accident that causes serious bodily injury to another. Dan Donohoe said sentencing can range up to five years in prison, though three to nine months in jail is the norm.

Frier joined the Seahawks only a month ago from the Cincinnati Bengals, where he had been on a three-week suspension for an unexcused absence, and played in last Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Warren, 27, a five-year veteran, was having his best season, having already gained 1,096 yards. He is the first Seahawk to have run for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive years, and the 27th to do so in the NFL.

Smith, 24, was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round from the University of Houston. He has played in two games this season.

Frier is a 6-foot-5, 299-pounder from Appalachian State in North Carolina. He is in his third year in the NFL. Schlitt said Frier’s bulk and the muscle mass around his neck made spinal realignment difficult.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.