Renowned US comedian and television personality Jay Leno required skin grafts for significant burns to his face and hands after an explosion involving a vintage automobile, and is to undergo further surgery this week, his doctor said on Wednesday.
The former host of The Tonight Show remains in a specialized Los Angeles hospital after suffering second-degree and possible third-degree burns in an accident while working on a vehicle at his private garage on Sunday.
“I do anticipate him making a full recovery,” said Leno’s doctor, Peter Grossman, who described the 72-year-old’s condition as “good.”
Photo: AFP
“Our hope is when everything is all said and done he will do well ... but burn injuries are progressive and dynamic, and it’s hard to predict ultimately what the final outcome will be at this stage of the game,” Grossman said.
Leno, a renowned motoring enthusiast with a huge collection of rare and expensive automobiles and motorcycles, was underneath a vehicle when the accident occurred.
A fuel leak covered Leno in gasoline which was ignited by a spark.
Grossman said it was too early to say if Leno would require additional surgery beyond the second procedure scheduled later this week.
Leno has also been undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which stimulates oxygen circulation in the blood to speed up the healing process.
However, Leno is in good spirits, Grossman said.
“He’s Jay Leno. He’s walking around and he’s cracking jokes,” the doctor said.
“I can tell you he’s incredibly kind to our nursing staff... He’s been appreciative of everybody here and he’s an ideal patient, and one who understands the seriousness of his injury.” he said.
Leno took over The Tonight Show after Johnny Carson retired in 1992, carrying on a tradition that has defined US late-night television for decades.
After stepping away in 2009 for a brief stint fronting The Jay Leno Show, he returned to The Tonight Show until 2014, when Jimmy Fallon took over.
He has also fronted seven seasons of Jay Leno’s Garage.
In a statement released on Monday, Leno said he would need “a week or two to get back on my feet.”
However, Grossman said that his recovery would likely be slower, and that he had warned the entertainer he should “step it back a little and realize” treatment takes time.
“I do feel he will be back to work at some point soon and back to the things that he loves to do,” he added.
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