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Morgan Freeman hurt in car crash
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is in hospital after being injured in a car accident near his Mississippi home.
The 71-year-old Dark Knight star is in a serious condition, according to staff at Memphis's Regional Medical Center.
The accident happened shortly before midnight on Sunday outside Charleston in the Mississippi Delta.
A Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman told the BBC that Mr Freeman's car left the road and "began to flip several times" before landing in a ditch.
Mr Freeman - who had been driving the car - and a female passenger were airlifted to the Memphis hospital, about 145km (90 miles) north of where the accident occurred in Tallahatchie County.
Talking at the scene
Both the actor and the woman, Demaris Meyer of Memphis, had been wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident, said Sergeant Ben Williams.
"There's no indication that either alcohol or drugs were involved," he added.
Mr Freeman was conscious and talking at the scene, he said, but the extent of his injuries was unclear.
There were "no other vehicles or pedestrians involved", he said.
An investigation into the accident is currently under way.
Clay McFerrin, editor of local newspaper the Sun-Sentinel, told the Associated Press news agency he had been at the scene on Mississippi Highway 32, not far from where Mr Freeman owns a home with his wife.
"He was lucid, conscious," Mr McFerrin said. "He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point."
When one person tried to take a photo with a mobile phone, Mr Freeman joked, "no freebies, no freebies," Mr McFerrin said.
Morgan Freeman is one of Hollywood's best loved and busiest actors, says the BBC's Rajesh Mirchandani in Los Angeles.
Mr Freeman won a best supporting actor Oscar for boxing drama Million Dollar Baby in 2005.
He has twice been nominated in the leading actor category - for The Shawshank Redemption in 1995 and Driving Miss Daisy in 1990.
Last year it was announced the actor would play former South African president Nelson Mandela in forthcoming film The Human Factor.
His first credited film appearance was in the 1971 movie Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow!
Prior to that, he had worked as a mechanic in the US Air Force.
His film appearances include Se7en, Unforgiven and the rebooted Batman franchise.
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is in hospital after being injured in a car accident near his Mississippi home.
The 71-year-old Dark Knight star is in a serious condition, according to staff at Memphis's Regional Medical Center.
The accident happened shortly before midnight on Sunday outside Charleston in the Mississippi Delta.
A Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman told the BBC that Mr Freeman's car left the road and "began to flip several times" before landing in a ditch.
Mr Freeman - who had been driving the car - and a female passenger were airlifted to the Memphis hospital, about 145km (90 miles) north of where the accident occurred in Tallahatchie County.
Talking at the scene
Both the actor and the woman, Demaris Meyer of Memphis, had been wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident, said Sergeant Ben Williams.
"There's no indication that either alcohol or drugs were involved," he added.
Mr Freeman was conscious and talking at the scene, he said, but the extent of his injuries was unclear.
There were "no other vehicles or pedestrians involved", he said.
An investigation into the accident is currently under way.
Clay McFerrin, editor of local newspaper the Sun-Sentinel, told the Associated Press news agency he had been at the scene on Mississippi Highway 32, not far from where Mr Freeman owns a home with his wife.
"He was lucid, conscious," Mr McFerrin said. "He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point."
When one person tried to take a photo with a mobile phone, Mr Freeman joked, "no freebies, no freebies," Mr McFerrin said.
Morgan Freeman is one of Hollywood's best loved and busiest actors, says the BBC's Rajesh Mirchandani in Los Angeles.
Mr Freeman won a best supporting actor Oscar for boxing drama Million Dollar Baby in 2005.
He has twice been nominated in the leading actor category - for The Shawshank Redemption in 1995 and Driving Miss Daisy in 1990.
Last year it was announced the actor would play former South African president Nelson Mandela in forthcoming film The Human Factor.
His first credited film appearance was in the 1971 movie Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow!
Prior to that, he had worked as a mechanic in the US Air Force.
His film appearances include Se7en, Unforgiven and the rebooted Batman franchise.
Get better soon, Morgan!
I didnt think of the irony
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