Reportedly recuperating from a motorbike accident that left him with many fractured bones only a few months after he suffered catastrophic burns in a fire that broke out in his Los Angeles garage, Jay Leno was involved in an accident this week that left him with the same injuries.
In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the comedian and talk show host said that on January 17, he was involved in an accident that knocked him off of his motorbike and left him with many fractured bones, including his collarbone, two broken ribs, and two split kneecaps.
“But I’m OK!” Leno, who is 72 years old, allegedly told the site. “I’m OK, I’m working. I’m working this weekend.”
The former host of “The Tonight Show” said that he had been working on an old motorbike and was putting it through its paces when he became aware of the odor of leaking gas coming from the vehicle.
According to an interview that Leno gave to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he said, “So I went down a side street and cut across a parking lot, and unknown to me, some man had a wire stretched across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it.” “You know, it wasn’t until it was too late that I realized what had happened. It really just clotheslined me and then bang, I was pushed off the bike.”
“The bike continued to go, and you are aware of how that turns out, “he remarked.
A request for comment that was addressed to Leno’s representatives was not immediately met with a response.
According to reports, the comedian said that he had not yet spoken publicly about the motorbike accident because of the media attention that has been focused on his rehabilitation from the burns he got in November.
On November 12, Leno’s classic automobile caught fire in his garage in Los Angeles, causing him to suffer major burns to his hands and chest as well as third-degree burns to his face.
Leno revealed to Hoda Kotb, host of NBC’s “TODAY” program, that he was working on his antique 1907 White Motor Co. steam-powered automobile with a buddy when he observed that the fuel line of the vehicle was blocked. The conversation took place during an exclusive interview that was shown on “TODAY.”
Leno said that he had gotten beneath the car in an effort to address the problem. He recalls saying something to the effect of “Blow some air through the line.” “Then all of a sudden, bam, I was hit in the face with gas. After that, the pilot light suddenly leaped, and the flames spread to my face.
Leno said that his buddy had “sort of smothered the fire” by jumping on top of him and pulling him out of the flames.
According to the website for the facility, the comedian received hyperbaric treatment, which is an oxygen therapy that “can accelerate burn wound healing.” He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was then transferred to the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, where he received treatment.
In just a few short weeks after the event, Leno was back on stage doing stand-up comedy, despite the severity of his injuries. Even though he has sustained further injuries this month, the comic seems unfazed as he gets ready to make his debut at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas for a concert that is scheduled for March 31.