Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke has reportedly been injured after losing control of his vehicle and smashing into a gate in Malibu, California.
TMZ reports Van Dyke, 97, was left with a bloody nose and mouth, along with a possible concussion. His car, a Lexus LS 500, skidded into a gate in wet conditions on Wednesday morning, US time.
Paramedics treated him at the scene, though he was not taken to hospital, with a friend picking him up and taking him home instead.
According to TMZ, neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the crash, but police have submitted documents to the California Department of Motor Vehicles requesting Van Dyke retake his driving test.
This is not Van Dyke’s first car incident. Almost a decade ago he had escape his burning Jaguar XJ on a highway in Los Angeles,
The vehicle spontaneously caught fire, prompting Van Dyke to pull over and try to call emergency services.
In good humour, the actor subsequently posted a photo of his burnt out vehicle, saying: “Used Jag for sale, REAL CHEAP!”
“I never had so much PR,” he later said in an interview with Access Hollywood.
“How did it start? Just a little smoke out of the front?” host Billy Bush asked him.
“A little smoke yeah. And I called up AAA and tried to tell them. And then I saw flames coming out and I said never mind,” said Van Dyke, then 87.
“The funny thing is the fire department was there in about 12 minutes, the paparazzi were there in ten. They’ve got a network.”
Van Dyke praised a passing motorist who helped him exit the burning car.
“I was (bent over) picking up my stuff off the (car) floor and a guy came and he yanked me out of the car. He was a good Samaritan,” he said.
“They thought the old guy’s out. But he was a good Samaritan. He stopped and yanked me out. It’s nice to know.”
Asked whether he had replaced the car, Van Dyke joked that he already had another Jaguar – with a fire extinguisher in the front seat.
“I just bought another one. I like Jaguars.”