Harrison Ford hospitalized, but OK after plane crash
LOS ANGELES — Harrison Ford was hospitalized on Thursday after crash landing a plane in Venice, California.
The 72-year-old actor crash landed on Penmar Golf Course after something apparently went wrong mechanically with the single-engine plane at around 2:25 p.m. He was transferred to UCLA Hospital in Westwood where he was listed in “fair to moderate” condition, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Initially reports from law enforcement officials described the actor’s injures as “critical.”
Ford, who suffered multiple lacerations, was the only one aboard the plane that suffered a “medium to high impact” on the 8th hole of the golf course. No one else was injured.
The actor’s son, Ben Ford, tweeted later on Thursday from the hospital.
“Dad is ok. Battered, but ok!” he said. “He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man.”
According to witnesses, Ford was able to walk away from the single-engine plane accident, and was later attended to by two physicians who were on the scene.
“There was blood all over his face,” Howard Tabe, an employee at the Penmar Golf Course, told NBC News. “Two very fine doctors were treating him, taking good care of him. I helped put a blanket under his hip.”
Ford is an avid pilot, with a license to fly helicopters and fixed-wing aircrafts, and has crashed in the past.
His “Star Wars” co-star, Peter Mayhew, wished the actor well on Twitter shortly after the news broke.
“Here’s hoping my buddy comes away with just another scar to match his crooked smile,” the Chewbacca actor said. “Speedy Recovery Harrison!”
Ford recently finished shooting “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at London’s Pinewood Studios. The Disney and LucasFilm sequel, which opens Dec. 18, had stopped filming for two weeks last year after Ford broke his leg on set when he was reportedly struck by the door of the Millenium Falcon spaceship. He later underwent surgery and rehab to repair the badly injured leg.
Ford’s reps could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
TMZ was the first to report the news about the actor.
