Actor Haley Joel Osment, who shot to fame as the child star of
The Sixth Sense, was injured in a car accident in Los Angeles while driving home in a Saturn car. Though the 18-year-old has been hospitalized, he escaped serious injuries in spite of not wearing a seat belt while driving, Los Angeles county Sheriff spokesman Lieutenant Greg Sisneros said.
The incident occurred at 1 am at La Canada Flintridge, when Osment's 1995-make car slammed into a mailbox mounted on a brick pillar. The car turned turtle, leaving Osment with rib and shoulder injuries. “The collision caused the vehicle to flip over onto its roof and come to rest a short distance away,” Sisneros said. Though shaken and 'banged up and scraped up', the actor was alert when he was taken to Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, he added. Osment had no passengers in the car.
According to Dr Paul Gilbert, an orthopedic surgeon overseeing Osment's recovery, the actor is making good progress and would be out of hospital soon. “The injuries are relatively minor. He is in some pain… but he's pretty uncomfortable and resting. He just wants to let everyone know he's going to be okay,” Dr Gilbert said. Asked if he was driving under influence, he said, “I'm sure blood samples were taken but I don't have a comment on that.”
Osment, who made his Hollywood debut with
Forrest Gump, has been appreciated for his performances in several films, including
Pay It Forward,
Artificial Intelligence and
Secondhand Lions. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for
The Sixth Sense but lost the big trophy to Michael Caine. Osment, however, did win the Saturn Award for his depiction of a child who could see dead people. He will now be seen next in
Home of the Giants, the story of a high school reporter covering a state basketball tournament.
