LONDON: British comedy actor Rowan Atkinson, best known for the character Mr. Bean, was released from hospital Friday after being treated for an injury sustained when his supercar crashed into a tree.
Atkinson is thought to have suffered a minor shoulder injury after the McLaren F1 car he was driving spun off the road Thursday near the village of Haddon, eastern England, before crashing into a tree and bursting into flames.
The 56-year-old car enthusiast walked away from the accident before firefighters arrived and put out the blaze, emergency services said.
After receiving treatment overnight, Atkinson left hospital at around 3:00 pm (1400 GMT) via a back door flanked by four security guards. He refused to comment to waiting journalists before being driven away in an ambulance.
A local police spokesman said officers were “called to the scene of a single vehicle collision on the A605 near Haddon at about 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) yesterday. The driver of the vehicle, a man, was taken to Peterborough City Hospital.”
A police source confirmed the man involved was Atkinson. An ambulance spokesman said he had suffered “a minor shoulder injury.”
The actor's love of fast cars is a stark contrast to his hapless character in the Mr. Bean series, who drives an ageing Mini.
The McLaren F1 is one of the fastest production cars in the world and has a top speed of 230 miles (370 kilometres) per hour. It is worth around $1.05 million (750,000 euros).
Atkinson recently appeared in popular British TV motoring show “Top Gear”, taking part in a segment called “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.”He notched up the fastest ever time on the show, completing a circuit of a race track in one minute, 42.2 seconds.
Atkinson rose to stardom in comedy shows including “Blackadder” and “Not the Nine O'Clock News” but achieved huge international fame with the slapstick comedy of Mr. Bean.
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