Despite “elements of nerve damage,” comedian Jay Leno is expected to make a full recovery from the severe burns he suffered Saturday while working in his garage in Burbank, California, according to the doctor caring for Leno.
TMZ said Leno, 72, told the outlet he was working on his 1907 White Steam Car to fix a clogged fuel line. First, gasoline sprayed on his face and hands due to a fuel leak. Then came a spark, creating a small explosion and setting Leno on fire.
Leno, former host of “The Tonight Show” on NBC, was rushed to the Grossman Burn Center at the West Hills Hospital in Los Angeles on Saturday, according to Fox News Digital via Burbank Fire Department officials.
Leno suffered “significant burns to his face and hands,” as well as his chest, Dr. Peter Grossman said Wednesday, according to Fox News, noting that Leno underwent one surgery and has another scheduled.
https://t.co/kmCqcQ1ewq #JayLeno was fixing a clogged fuel line Sat on his 1907 White Steam Car when gasoline sprayed on his face & hands. A spark then triggered an explosion, setting the 72-yo car enthusiast on fire. He suffered third-degree burns & may need skin grafts.
— tatianyc27 (@tatianyc27) November 15, 2022
Leno’s first surgery was a “surgical excision and grafting procedure,” Grossman said.
“He’s had skin grafts that are not his own, meaning the skin we have from a skin bank or a donor; that’s what we do as a first stage,” the doctor said, according to Inside Edition.
“He did well with that surgery. He is in good spirits today,” Grossman said, according to Fox News, noting that the burns were “deep second degree” and possibly third degree.
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“Burn injuries are progressive and dynamic,” the doctor said. “It’s hard to predict what the final outcome will be at this stage in the game. Currently, there’s elements of nerve damage.”
However, Grossman said, “I do anticipate him making a full recovery. Whether there will be remnants of this injury is still way too early to tell.”
Leno is a “remarkably kind and engaging” patient, Grossman said, according to Yahoo. On Wednesday, Leno handed out cookies to children who were at the hospital for treatment, the doctor said.
“He’s walking around and he’s cracking jokes. I can tell you that he’s incredibly kind to our nursing staff. He’s very compliant. He’s very appreciative of everybody here and really an ideal patient,” Grossman said.
“We’re very happy to have him as part of our team,” the doctor said, according to Fox News.
Grossman called Leno “a gentleman who really doesn’t want to make a big deal of this. He wants to get back to work; that’s what he does. I had to tell him that he needs to step back a bit and that these things take time.”
In an exclusive video, Jay Leno is seen in a hyperbaric chamber undergoing treatment for the severe burns he sustained from a car fire. pic.twitter.com/Ca89gcbxjI
— Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) November 17, 2022
One of Leno’s treatments included a trip to a hyperbaric chamber for oxygen therapy designed to increase the flow of oxygen to the burned areas and speed up healing, according to Inside Edition.
Leno, who worked as a mechanic while trying to achieve success as a comedian, has a massive collection of classic vehicles.
