Ex-NFL Star Leonard Fournette Narrowly Escapes SUV Blaze Without Injury, Shares Video of Burned-Out Durango

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette suffered a close call Tuesday morning when his Dodge Durango melted down on a Tampa interstate.

"Man it was one of those days today, but I would like thank God," Fournette captioned a dramatic video on his Instagram, showcasing the burnt shell of his SUV for his one million followers. "My car caught on fire while I was driving, but I am still blessed."

Florida Highway Patrol confirmed to UPI that on June 27 at around 10:35 a.m. EDT, Fournette was traveling northbound on I-275 when his SUV caught fire as the result of a mechanical issue.

Fournette was able to pilot the vehicle to a controlled stop on the right-hand side of the shoulder, where he exited without injury. The Durango was not as lucky.

Although the exact cause of the issue isn't known, Chrysler and the company's Durangos have a history of fire issues. In 2014, Chrysler issued a recall of 900,000 2011-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Durangos (650,000 of them in the U.S. alone) due to a mechanical error in which a screw within the sun visor would chafe against the wiring for the visor's lightbulb. 62 short circuits, along with 38 fires and 3 injuries, were reported due to this flaw.

Chrysler installed plastic buffers to separate the mechanisms, but by 2015 later there had been eight further reports of the same issue filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In response, Chrylser issued a further recall of 388,504 Durangos and Grand Cherokees.

Fournette's ordeal somewhat mirrors that of fellow former NFL star Jimmy Graham's harrowing bicycle accident last month, in which Graham was T-boned by a driver who failed to spot the former Chicago Bears tight-end in the morning sun. Graham was lucky to escape with injuries only requiring stitches, though former Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk said that Graham suffered a wound on his calf so deep that it "looked like he had worms growing out of it."

28-year-old Fournette spent three seasons with the Buccaneers before leaving in March. Throughout 79 NFL appearances, Fournette has totaled 41 scores and 6,697 yards from scrimmage.