It’s been a month since Jay Leno suffered severe burns in a gasoline fire at his Burbank, Calif. car garage on Nov. 12. In a new column for the Wall Street Journal, the former talk show host proves that he has a sense of humor about the situation.
The renowned car buff addressed the Nov. 14 accident — in which he was treated for serious burns after working on one of his vehicles, a 1907 White Steam Car, when a fuel leak caused his face and hands to be sprayed with gas, which subsequently ignited and set him on fire — in an essay sharing his thoughts on electric cars. According to Leno, the accident has provided fodder for his comedy act.
“Eight days later, I had a brand new face,” wrote the 72-year-old comedian, who sustained “deep second-degree burns” and possibly some third-degree burns, according to the doctor who treated him, Dr. Peter Grossman of the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills, Calif. “And it’s better than what was there before.”
In a press conference just days after the incident, Grossman shared that Leno had undergone a surgical excision and grafting procedure, in which nonviable tissue that would delay wound healing was removed and a biological skin substitute was put on the burn areas to accelerate healing. Leno also underwent “very aggressive” hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a treatment that increases oxygen to injured areas to speed up healing. At the time, Grossman told the media that the former Tonight Show host would have a second surgery later that week, but was expected to make “a full recovery.”
Despite the serious injuries involved, Leno seems to be taking the incident in stride.
“But really, it was an accident, that’s all,” he wrote. “Anybody who works with their hands on a regular basis is going to have an accident at some point. If you play football, you get a concussion or a broken leg. Anything you do, there’s a risk factor.
“You have to joke about it,” the Jay Leno’s Garage host continued. “There’s nothing worse than whiny celebrities. If you joke about it, people laugh along with you.”
