Comedian Kevin Hart has started walking again after undergoing back surgery for three spinal fractures sustained in a car crash.
According to a Sept. 7 TMZ report, the 40-year-old celebrity has been walking slowly and started physical therapy at the hospital where doctors operated on his back.
Hart was injured in a car accident on Sept. 1, when his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda rolled down an embankment just minutes from his home.
Friends Jared Black and Rebecca Broxterman were also in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Eniko Parrish, his wife, previously told reporters that he is “going to be just fine.”
Parrish told E! News on Sept. 2 that “he’s good. Everybody’s good.”
Another friend of Hart’s, Tiffany Haddish, said Friday that he was doing well following surgery.
“He’s OK. He’s doing fine. As far as I know, from the last I heard, he’s fine,” Haddish told Entertainment Tonight at an event in New York City.
“He’s already walking. He’s good,” she added.
In this Jan. 10, 2016, file photo, Eniko Parrish, left, and Kevin Hart arrive at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. The couple were wed in a lavish ceremony near Santa Barbara, Calif. on Saturday, Aug. 13. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File
Hart’s “Jumanji” co-star, Dwayne Johnson, wished him a speedy recovery on social media.
“Stop messing with my emotions brother @kevinhart4real,” Johnson, wrote. "We have a lot more laughing to do together. Love you man. Stay strong.”
Fusing Spinal Fractures
TMZ reported on Sept. 5 that Hart’s surgery involved fusing the spinal fractures—two of them were in the thoracic section and one was in the lumbar area.
Hart was said to be under heavy medication due to the intense pain, TMZ reported, saying he is “going through hell” following the crash and surgeries.
Doctors said that he is expected to make a full recovery, but he will require months of physical therapy, according to previous reports.
‘Two of the Three Occupants Were Trapped Inside’
Emergency calls cited in a recent New York Post report revealed the severity of the crash. “I don’t know what happened … He’s not coherent at all,” an unidentified woman calling from the comedian’s home told a 911 operator, reported the New York Post. “He can’t move,” she added, saying that he was “breathing.”
“The roof is crushed. And the car is pretty totaled. The door is smashed in,” said a driver to a 911 operator after stopped to help at the crash site.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed Hart sustained injuries in the 12:45 a.m. crash, reported ABC7. It took place around Mulholland Highway and Cold Canyon Road.
Kevin Hart speaks during during the "Night School" Atlanta University Center press junket at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia on Sept. 11, 2018. Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Universal Pictures
“Two of the three occupants were trapped inside,” the CHP added to the Los Angeles Times. “The remaining occupant and the owner of the vehicle, Kevin Hart, left the scene to his nearby residence to get medical attention.”
A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol told Yahoo that officials are looking at whether excessive speed factored into the crash.
“It’s something we look at with pretty much every collision, so it’s not really unique to this collision,” CHP officer Weston Haver said. “A lot of [the] time speed is a factor… but that is something the investigating officer is looking into.”
Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
