Jay Leno’s Doctor Gives Update After Comedian Suffers ‘Significant Burns’ In Car Fire

Comedian and TV host Jay Leno sustained serious gas fire injuries while working on his 1907 White Steam Car earlier this week but is in good condition, his doctor revealed on Wednesday.

Dr. Peter Grossman, a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Los Angeles, told reporters that Leno suffered “significant burns to his face and hands” and required a “surgical excision and grafting procedure.” Leno suggested in a previous statement he would be back on his feet in a couple of weeks. His doctor, however, said it may take longer than that.

“He seems to be a gentleman who really doesn’t want to make a big deal of this,” Grossman told reporters, reports Fox News. “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.”

Grossman said Leno had already undergone one surgery, and would need another later this week. He said Leno may have suffered second or third-degree burns, describing the situation as fluid.

“Burn injuries are progressive and dynamic,” he said. “It’s hard to predict what the final outcome will be at this stage in the game.”

According to a report from the entertainment website TMZ, Leno was working to repair a clogged fuel line when a leak caused gasoline to spray over his face and hands. A spark then caused an explosion, which ignited the gas.

Leno told TMZ that his friend Dave, who was in the garage with him at the time, was able to smother the flames — otherwise, he said that the fire was serious enough that it easily could have killed him.

Virginia Kruta contributed to this report. 

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