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Reports: Michigan's Drake Johnson run over by forklift on campus

College Football, Michigan Wolverines

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan running back Drake Johnson was run over by a forklift in a bizarre accident last month at the Wolverines' indoor track building, according to reports Tuesday.

The Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, citing information obtained from public-records requests, said the forklift driver felt a bump and thought he'd run over a starting block. He then realized he'd run over Johnson, who was on the floor stretching.

The incident occurred April 13. Coach Jim Harbaugh said the next day on a Big Ten teleconference that Johnson was "doing well" and that it didn't appear he would miss much time, but he did not go into specifics about what happened.

"I was with the family last night, and I'll let them comment on the specifics," Harbaugh said the day after the incident. "I feel better with that coming from Drake or his family. But he's doing well. I could tell you this: It would have killed a lesser man. He is blue, twisted steel, very flexible and amazing. It's one of those miraculous things, but he's done well as can be expected."

Johnson, an Ann Arbor native, competes in hurdle events for Michigan in the spring. His mother is the Wolverines' cheerleader coach.

Johnson has rushed for 641 yards in the first three seasons of an injury-plagued career. He has twice torn his anterior cruciate ligament, most recently in the 2014 regular-season finale against Ohio State. This incident doesn't appear to have the same recovery period, but might have been a narrow miss at disaster, according to Harbaugh's thoughts on what happened.

"To the best I know -- I'm not a doctor -- talking to him, a week or two or three, at the most," Harbaugh said in April. "It's a miracle right up there with Easter. Just thanking God that he is all right."

Information from ESPN's Dan Murphy and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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