Police cite van driver in crash with Patriots QB Tom Brady

Rodrigues had a lengthy driving record, including a charge of drunken driving after a November 2009 crash in New Bedford. Due to repeated infractions, he had already taken a driver safety class in 2008. His other violations included failure to use seat belts, failure to use child safety seats, driving an uninspected vehicle, driving without a license, and failure to signal, according to data provided by Registry of Motor Vehicles.

One witness told police she was walking her dogs in the area at the moment the crash happened and saw the crosswalk light signaling that it was clear to cross Commonwealth, an indicator that drivers on Commonwealth had the red light, police said The woman was struck by the falling signal light, but was evaluated by emergency medical service personnel and then released. Other witnesses said they could not see the color of the light.

Neighborhood resident Bill Barron said he heard a sound like thunder and looked out his window to see the accident.

"I thought it was a college student who had taken his dad's car and got into an accident," he said.

He said Brady seemed a little shaken and was dusting glass off himself.

He said the man extricated from the van appeared to be conscious by the time he was taken into the ambulance.

Hanna LeStrange, who was staying at a friend's house across the green, said she heard the boom, and went over to the scene.

"It was just really high-impact, you could tell. The front of the Audi was off," she said.

"He was sort of bent over, looked completely shaken up. He got up and just started wiping his jeans," she said of Brady.

Another witness who came across the aftermath of the crash said Brady emerged from his Audi sedan and "looked a little shook up, shaking his hands." Brady went into an ambulance and a few minutes later was picked up by someone in a Jeep Cherokee and drove off.

"It took us a few minutes to realize it was him," said the witness, who declined to be identified.

While media flocked to the stadium to learn more about Brady's health, the star quarterback did not make an appearance in the locker room while it was open to the media.

That did not stop photographers from lining up in front of Brady's empty locker to get the best shots. And dozens of media members crowded the locker room to get other players' reactions.

Brady's teammates said he appeared to be fine.

"I saw him, I asked him if he was OK, he said, 'I'm fine," said linebacker Tully Banta-Cain.

"I want to thank the safety personnel for their service, and express our concern and support for the well-being of the occupants of the other vehicle," Brady's agent, Don Yee, said in a statement.

Brady lives in the Back Bay with his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen. "On behalf of Gisele we thank you for your kind words and support to Tom Brady," Bundchen posted on her Twitter site today.

Monique Walker, Mike Bello, Albert Breer, and Suzanne Kreiter of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Hanna LeStrange

Another picture of the crash, taken by witness Hanna LeStrange.