Man with ALS Given Tickets to Super Bowl, Dies in Accident on Way to Game: 'He Dreamed of Going'
A North Carolina man with Lou Gehrig’s disease tragically died in a freak accident on Saturday while on the way to Super Bowl LIII, which took place the next day, after he was given free passes to the game by a nonprofit organization, according to multiple reports.
Ed Cushman — who was living with ALS, a progressive nervous system disease that affects voluntary muscle movement — had been given tickets to watch the Los Angeles Rams take on the New England Patriots at the Super Bowl by Team Gleason, a charity that supports patients with the rare debilitating disease.
While Cushman’s father and brother drove the 39-year-old to Georgia on Saturday, they noticed smoke spewing out from under their minivan, according to WWLTV. The family then pulled over on a highway shoulder to examine what was wrong.
But Cushman was still strapped into his wheelchair and connected to a ventilator as the fire spread.
The Georgia State Patrol told WWLTV in a statement, “The vehicle started smoking underneath so the driver pulled to the shoulder of the roadway to examine the source. He exited the vehicle and then smoke began pouring out of the vehicle. He stated that at that point flames started erupting out of each side and he tried to extract his passenger, but was unable to and had to leave because the flames were too intense.”
The Georgia State Patrol did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“Please be in prayer for our family,” Cushman’s brother, Rob Cushman, wrote in a Facebook post. “We lost my brother, Edward Craig Cushman, in a freak accident while we were driving to Atlanta yesterday. While we are devastated, we are happy he is no longer suffering from the pain of ALS.”
In a statement, Team Gleason expressed their anguish over the tragedy.
“All of us at Team Gleason are deeply saddened after learning about the tragedy that resulted in the loss of Ed Cushman’s life,” the charity said in a statement to PEOPLE.
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“Our brief relationship with Ed’s family was filled with excitement, as Team Gleason secured the ADA Super Bowl tickets he requested,” the charity said. “Like so many with ALS, Ed was passionate about living and he dreamed of going to the Super Bowl. We were honored to have played a small role in helping make that possible for such an amazing man.”
The nonprofit is named after former NFL player Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011 after playing with the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2008. Through the foundation, Gleason has helped to raise awareness around the disease.
“Words cannot express how shocked we are for Ed and his entire family,” the charity added. “We remain committed to our ALS community and Ed’s family in this time of incredible sadness.”
