Harrison Ford Injured In Plane Crash

Actor Harrison Ford has been hospitalized after crashing a small vintage plane onto a Venice, California golf course Thursday afternoon.

 

Witnesses say the 72-year-old actor was bleeding profusely from his face when rescuers arrived at the crash scene on Penmar golf course around 2:20pm.

The actor was alert and conscious when firefighters pulled him from the World War II-era plane and onto a stretcher bound for UCLA trauma center. Ford, who has been flying since the 1960s, was the only person in the plane.

 

It was initially reported that the actor was in critical condition, but that was later downgraded to fair to moderate condition. Reports say Ford suffered lacerations to his head and possible fractures.

 

'There was blood all over his face. ... Two very fine doctors were treating him, taking good care of him. I helped put a blanket under his hip,' golf course employee Howard Tabe told NBC News. 

 

Pat Butler of the Los Angeles Fire Department says he's responded to plane crashes in the area before and says Ford is lucky to be alive.

 

'Normally the outcomes are fatalies so yes we are very thankful that the passenger, from what we hear right now, had moderate injuries,' Butler said.

 

Butler also hinted that Ford may have known his airplane was failing, and strategically picked the golf course to steer clear of people on the ground.

 

'It's an area that probably presented the least amount of impact to the community,' Butler said.

 

The golf course is just a block from the tarmac at Santa Monica Airport, where Ford keeps his collection of planes.