Jay Leno has suffered a second major injury in a span of two months. The television host, who sparked concerns in November last year after being involved in a garage fire, has now revealed that he was knocked off a motorcycle on January 17.
The 72 year old ended up getting his two ribs and collarbone broken and cracking his kneecaps. He is now recovering but plans to continue to work in the coming days. Read on to know more about the incident.
Jay Leno Breaks Multiple Bones in Motorcycle Accident
Leno was testing a 1940 Indian motorcycle when the accident took place. Talking about the mishap in an interview, he revealed, “Just last week, I got knocked off my motorcycle. So I’ve got a broken collarbone. I’ve got two broken ribs. I’ve got two cracked kneecaps. But I’m OK! I’m OK, I’m working. I’m working this weekend.”
He further said that he noticed the scent of leaking gas from the vehicle. “So I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it. So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike,” Leno said.
“The bike kept going, and you know how that works out,” he continued. He further said that he did not talk about the accident earlier as he did not want media attention. “You know, after getting burned up, you get that one for free. After that, you’re Harrison Ford, crashing airplanes. You just want to keep your head down,” he joked.
The Comedian Sustained Burn Injuries in November 2022
Leno previously suffered second-degree burns on his face, hands, and chest while working on a vintage car in November last year. The host then spent ten days in the hospital and underwent surgery. Just six days after being discharged, he returned to perform a stand-up act at a Southern California club.
He later revealed the details of the accident and said, “When you work with cars, you have a lot of accidents. But this is bigger than most. With a steam car, you have gasoline, but you also have a vaporizer which is heated by a pilot light to turn water into steam.”
Leno further said that his face was covered in gasoline when a spark reacted with the gas and caused the fire. “It felt exactly like my face was on fire. Maybe like the most intense sunburn you’ve ever had, that’d be fair to say. I’m not a panicky guy, but I knew if I breathed in I could scorch my lungs,” he added.
“I was under the car maybe 10 seconds before Dave pulled me out. Any longer than that I could have lost my eye,” Leno continued. His surgeon, Dr. Peter Grossman, also talked about the case and said, “When he came in, his burns were deeper than I anticipated. Jay is definitely an outlier in terms of how well he’s healed, considering the severity of his injuries.”
We wish Jay Leno a speedy recovery! Stay tuned for more news and updates.
