Legendary actor, singer and dancer Dick Van Dyke, 97, suffered a near miss with the worst of things in a car crash earlier this month. The television icon and Mary Poppins star rattled fans on March 15 when it was revealed he crashed his Lexus into a gate in Malibu, California.
But it could have been so, so much worse.
Offering an update to fans on his condition via TMZ, the star revealed his car's air bag did not deploy during the crash, sending him face-planting directly into the steering wheel.
The star had to get multiple stitches in his mouth because of the crash, but while talking to TMZ he was every bit the beloved comedic character we've all known so long.
Updating the outlet on what went down, he quipped:
“The airbags did not deploy, so I just had a face plant right in the steering wheel and it made me a little dumber."
Classic.
It's not known exactly how the March 15 crash occurred, but Van Dyke was driving on wet pavement during one of California's recent rainstorms at the time. He was treated at the scene by fire department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department personnel.
Though he was bloodied by the crash, he thankfully did not need to go to the hospital. Authorities required he retake a driving test once he's recovered, to make sure his driving skills are still up to par—a common outcome of crashes involving older drivers.
On social media, people were relieved to see Van Dyke in such good spirits after his ordeal.
And after Van Dyke began to trend on Twitter because of his accident, fans took it as an opportunity to remember some of his most iconic roles and dance numbers from films like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Van Dyke also told TMZ he was "good, just sore all over" and even made time for a bit of gallows humor, telling the cameraman:
"I'm 97, all my friends are dead!"
To which the cameraman responded, "you're not!"
Thank goodness for that.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
