CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sitting in front of the Charlotte skyline on the 50th floor of The VUE, new Panthers defensive end Chris Smith reflects on his journey back to his hometown.
"Growing up as a kid playing football since you were in the third grade," Smith said, "you always want to play for the home team."
Smith signed a one-year contract to play for Carolina last week, a special event in the Salisbury native's life. Smith previously played for the Browns, Bengals and Jaguars over six NFL seasons.
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"It's just a dream come true, " said Smith, a West Rowan HS grad, "it still hasn't hit me yet."
But the last year has been less of a dream for Smith, 28, and more of a nightmare.
"Petara was very beautiful," Smith said. "I don't think she knew how beautiful she was."
Smith cracks a smile, and says he's glad to be asked about Petara Cordero. The two were deeply in love, and she gave birth to their daughter, Haven, on Aug. 27.
"She was very excited and nervous at the same time to be a mother," Smith remembered.
But Cordero's motherhood was tragically cut short.
Early on the morning of September 11, Smith's car blew a tire and struck a median on a highway in Cleveland. The couple got out to assess the damage, but Smith's car was struck by another vehicle, and then struck Cordero.
She later died at a hospital. Petara Cordero, a Charlotte resident, was dead at just 26 years old.
"Knowing how bad she wanted to be a mom," Smith said, "that was the most hurtful thing for me."
Just five days later, Smith took the field for the Browns against the New York Jets.
"In life, you don't know when it's your last day, and in football, you don't know when it's your last play," he said. "So you've got to live every day to the fullest."
Smith is now trying to help prevent such tragedies from happening to others. He has partnered to be the spokesman for the company Emergency Safety Solutions.
Together, they want new, more effective hazard lights installed in cars around the world.
"They told me if I'd had these lights, Haven would have a mother," Smith said. "I don't wish on my worst enemy to go through what I went through."
Now about to turn seven months, Haven reminds Chris of Petara. And he knows she'll ask about her mother someday too.
"That's going to be one of the toughest talks, I'm probably going to cry again," Smith said. "I'm one very strong person but that's one of the toughest talks I'm going to have to have."