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Photo: Dick Van Dyke's Sense of Humor Intact After Fiery Car Accident
Actor Dick Van Dyke onstage during the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, January 27, 2013 (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)
Veteran actor Dick Van Dyke had a harrowing brush with death Monday afternoon when his car burst into flames and he had to be rescued from the wreckage.
At least one Good Samaritan helped Van Dyke, who is 87 years young, out of his burning Jaguar on the 101 Freeway in Calabasas at around 2 p.m.
According to CNN, the actor's publicist Bob Palmer said Van Dyke was "fine" but "slightly embarrassed" and was "appreciative of the instant help he got on the road."
Arlene Van Dyke made a Vine video of the aftermath, and later Monday night Van Dyke himself hopped on social media to prove the beloved star of "Mary Poppins" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" did not injure his funny bone:
Used Jag for sale REAL CHEAP!! pic.twitter.com/SpQMsg3s2O
— Dick Van Dyke (@iammrvandy) August 20, 2013
The Guardian reminds us that Van Dyke seems to have a knack for cheating death:
In 2010, Dick Van Dyke fell asleep on his surfboard and woke up surrounded by a swirl of circling fins. He felt the chill of his own mortality sweep through him. But it's OK, he said, because "they turned out to be porpoises, and they pushed me all the way to shore".
Imagine that video!