arty:
Morgan Freeman in good spirits with broken arm after crash, says publicist.
Looks like he will be OK. One of numerous articles.
The Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was said to be in "good spirits" in hospital today after breaking his arm and elbow in a car crash.
Freeman was driving near his home in Charleston, Mississippi, when his car flipped over several times late on Sunday. The actor and a female companion were cut free by emergency workers before being airlifted to a hospital 90 miles away in Memphis, Tennessee. Early reports from the hospital described his condition as "serious".
Freeman's publicist, Donna Lee, said the actor "has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage, but is in good spirits". The 71-year-old is expected to make a "good" recovery, she told the showbiz website TMZ.com.
Clay McFerrin, the editor of the Charleston Sun Sentinel newspaper, who arrived at the scene shortly after the accident, said Freeman had been conscious and talking to rescuers.
"They had to use the jaws of life [hydraulic cutters] to extract him from the vehicle," McFerrin said. "He was lucid, conscious. He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point."
His account was confirmed by state troopers, who said the 1997 Nissan Maxima that Freeman was driving had apparently gone off the road. The actor overcorrected, causing the car to flip over several times before coming to a rest.
Ben Williams, a Mississippi highway patrol sergeant, told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper: "Both [occupants] had some injuries, to what extent I do not know."
Police confirmed that Freeman and his passenger were both wearing seatbelts when the accident happened at 11.30pm local time.
Williams said the car belonged to Demaris Meyer, of Memphis. "There's no indication that either alcohol or drugs were involved," he said. There was no information on Meyer's condition.
Bill Luckett, a friend of Freeman and co-owner of his restaurant, Madidi, said the actor was sitting up and talking at the hospital.
Freeman, who is in pre-production for The Human Factor, in which he plays Nelson Mandela, has made a reputation as the voice of God and the face of the president. The Human Factor, based on a book about the 1995 Rugby World Cup written by a British journalist, co-stars Matt Damon and is being directed by Clint Eastwood.
Freeman won an Oscar in 2004 for his supporting role in Million Dollar Baby - directed by and starring Eastwood - and was most recently seen in the summer blockbuster The Dark Knight. He gained widespread acclaim, and a Golden Globe for best actor, for the 1990 film Driving Miss Daisy. In 1994 he was nominated for best actor for his role as Ellis Boyd Redding in the prison drama The Shawshank Redemption
TheGuardian.co.uk
Looks like he will be OK. One of numerous articles.
The Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was said to be in "good spirits" in hospital today after breaking his arm and elbow in a car crash.
Freeman was driving near his home in Charleston, Mississippi, when his car flipped over several times late on Sunday. The actor and a female companion were cut free by emergency workers before being airlifted to a hospital 90 miles away in Memphis, Tennessee. Early reports from the hospital described his condition as "serious".
Freeman's publicist, Donna Lee, said the actor "has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage, but is in good spirits". The 71-year-old is expected to make a "good" recovery, she told the showbiz website TMZ.com.
Clay McFerrin, the editor of the Charleston Sun Sentinel newspaper, who arrived at the scene shortly after the accident, said Freeman had been conscious and talking to rescuers.
"They had to use the jaws of life [hydraulic cutters] to extract him from the vehicle," McFerrin said. "He was lucid, conscious. He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point."
His account was confirmed by state troopers, who said the 1997 Nissan Maxima that Freeman was driving had apparently gone off the road. The actor overcorrected, causing the car to flip over several times before coming to a rest.
Ben Williams, a Mississippi highway patrol sergeant, told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper: "Both [occupants] had some injuries, to what extent I do not know."
Police confirmed that Freeman and his passenger were both wearing seatbelts when the accident happened at 11.30pm local time.
Williams said the car belonged to Demaris Meyer, of Memphis. "There's no indication that either alcohol or drugs were involved," he said. There was no information on Meyer's condition.
Bill Luckett, a friend of Freeman and co-owner of his restaurant, Madidi, said the actor was sitting up and talking at the hospital.
Freeman, who is in pre-production for The Human Factor, in which he plays Nelson Mandela, has made a reputation as the voice of God and the face of the president. The Human Factor, based on a book about the 1995 Rugby World Cup written by a British journalist, co-stars Matt Damon and is being directed by Clint Eastwood.
Freeman won an Oscar in 2004 for his supporting role in Million Dollar Baby - directed by and starring Eastwood - and was most recently seen in the summer blockbuster The Dark Knight. He gained widespread acclaim, and a Golden Globe for best actor, for the 1990 film Driving Miss Daisy. In 1994 he was nominated for best actor for his role as Ellis Boyd Redding in the prison drama The Shawshank Redemption
TheGuardian.co.uk
