Getty Dick Van Dyke attends the Kennedy Center Honors event.
Iconic Hollywood legend and former Hallmark entertainer Dick Van Dyke sustained minor injuries in a recent car accident in Malibu, California. Van Dyke, 97, was involved in the single-car accident a week ago, according to TMZ, but the details are just now emerging.
Van Dyke starred in Hallmark’s “Murder 101” four-movie television series, playing Dr. Jonathan Maxwell. Maxwell was an on-call criminologist who also worked as a criminology professor, and he partnered with private detective Mike Bryant (played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke) to investigate local crimes. As It’s a Stampede detailed, the four made-for-television movies in the “Murder 101” series aired on Hallmark from 2006 to 2008. Hallmark also gave new life to one of Van Dyke’s highly beloved series, “Diagnosis Murder,” in recent years by running it on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. In addition, it was recently revealed that Van Dyke nearly made an appearance in an episode of Hallmark’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” On March 6, Kristin Booth confirmed on Twitter, “We were very close to having Dick guest star on SSD, it was such a shame that he became ill.” Booth, who played Shane in the series of Hallmark films, added, “We did get to have a cast lunch with him & he’s a lovely person.”
Dick Van Dyke’s Vehicle Slid Into a Gate
TMZ reported police were called to the scene of an accident on March 15 in Malibu. Van Dyke had been driving a 2018 Lexus LS 500, and he reported to police he lost control of the vehicle as the car started to slide. The car crashed into a gate, and Van Dyke’s vehicle was the only one involved. The media outlet noted that due to the area receiving a significant amount of rain in recent days, the roads in the area were wet at the time of the accident.
Van Dyke was reportedly bleeding from both his mouth and his nose after the incident, and paramedics treated his injuries at the scene of the accident. TMZ was told Van Dyke might have also endured a concussion from the accident. However, the iconic actor chose not to be taken to the hospital. Instead, someone came to pick him up and take him home. The media outlet also noted that according to their sources, Van Dyke’s accident did not involve either alcohol or drugs. Police, however, reportedly sent a request to the Department of Motor Vehicles to connect with Van Dyke for a driving retest to assess his competency to continue driving.
Van Dyke’s Accident Sparked Concern on Twitter
As word of the accident spread, Van Dyke started trending on Twitter. When a celebrity starts trending on Twitter, especially an older icon such as Van Dyke, fans often brace for bad news, like a celebrity’s death. Luckily, in this case, the news was not tragic. A number of fans tweeted their relief that Van Dyke was still around and not seriously injured in his recent accident.
“Me seeing Dick Van Dyke AND Dolly Parton trending. (They’re fine.)” tweeted one user.
“That heart in mouth moment when you see that Dick van Dyke is trending,” added another.
“Dick Van Dyke, William Shatner, and Carl Weathers are trending. Thankfully, ALL ALIVE,” read someone else’s Twitter post.