Dick Van Dyke Injured In Scary Car Accident, Here’s His Current Status
Dick Van Dyke recently crashed his car in L.A., but declined to be taken to the hospital.
Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke was involved in a car accident recently. TMZ reports that Van Dyke was behind the wheel of his 2018 Lexus LS 500 when he crashed into a gate. The 97-year-old Hollywood icon managed to avoid any serious injuries and declined to go to the hospital.
The Mary Poppins actor told police he was driving on a rain-slicked L.A. street when he lost control of his vehicle and slammed into the gate. TMZ reported Dick Van Dyke may have suffered a concussion and was found with blood flowing from his nose and mouth. The actor was treated at the scene by paramedics.
Supposedly, there were no drugs or alcohol involved in the crash. Police, however, have submitted paperwork to the Los Angeles DMV asking that they retest Van Dyke to see if the actor is still fit to drive at his advanced age.
Dick Van Dyke has been a staple of stage and screen — both big and small — since 1947. He starred in his own self-titled sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show, alongside Mary Tyler Moore before moving on to films. Disney‘s 1964 classic Mary Poppins, along with 1968’s flying car fantasy Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, made Dick Van Dyke a movie star.
In the decades since, Dick has gone back and forth between TV and film. Some of his most famous roles have been crime-solving Doctor Mark Sloan on Diagnosis Murder and Cecil in the Night at the Museum franchise. The actor has also done numerous guest spots on everything from Columbo to Scrubs.
Despite having been alive for the better part of a century, the legend is still working. He returned for 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns, playing the son of the banker character he played in the original Mary Poppins. As recently as 2020, Van Dyke was providing voices for Hopscotch the Sasquatch on Showtime‘s Jim Carrey-led series Kidding.
The star is best known for his physical comedy and deep bass voice. The actor sites Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame and silent film star Buster Keaton as two of his biggest influences. Van Dyke once told Conan O’Brien that he called Laurel once to confess he had been stealing from Stan’s routines for years.
According to Van Dyke, Laurel replied, “Yes, I know.”
This isn’t the first time Dick Van Dyke has had car trouble. In 2013 the then-87-year-old actor was driving his Jaguar when it caught on fire. Thankfully Van Dyke was rescued from the flaming wreck by a passerby.
Miraculously the actor wasn’t injured, although the car burnt down all the way to the frame.
With comedy legends like Betty White and Carl Reiner passing away in recent years just shy of their 100th birthdays, fans can be forgiven for worrying about Dick Van Dyke’s health. However, now that the comedy legend has walked away from two car crashes, not to mention survived alcoholism and a lifetime of heavy smoking, it’s safe to say Dick Van Dyke might end up outliving us all.
