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Dick Van Dyke | Source: Getty Images
Dick Van Dyke | Source: Getty Images

Dick Van Dyke Crashes into Gate in His Car – Details of Accident & His Possible Concussion

Daniella Segell
Mar 22, 2023
12:10 P.M.
  • Dick Van Dyke got into a car crash at 97.
  • 'Mary Poppins actor crashed into a gate, and paramedics assisted him at the scene.
  • Dick Van Dyke, famous for his role in “Mary Poppins," has had an extensive career in Hollywood and has created a solid fan base, who have recently been shocked at a predicament he found himself in.
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Van Dyke was recently involved in a car accident which has left fans worried. However, he has not been seriously injured and remains in fair health after the incident.

The crash happened in Malibu on Wednesday, March 22, and he was the only car involved. He was driving a 2018 Lexus LS 500 and crashed the vehicle into a gate. Police responded on Wednesday morning.

Dick Van Dyke, circa 1965 | Source: Getty Images

Dick Van Dyke, circa 1965 | Source: Getty Images

Dick Van Dyke portrait in a blue shirt and goofing at Los Angeles, California in 1964 | Source: Getty Images

Dick Van Dyke portrait in a blue shirt and goofing at Los Angeles, California in 1964 | Source: Getty Images

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Van Dyke is 97, and police confirmed that his car had slid, causing him to lose control. The vehicle slid because of how wet the roads are after the recent relentless rains in LA.

The only injuries Van Dyke was left with after the accident was a bloody nose and a possible concussion. He was treated by paramedics on the scene of the accident. Rather than being sent to the hospital, he was picked up by a friend who took him home.

Dick Van Dyke is seen on June 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images

Dick Van Dyke is seen on June 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images

There were no illicit substances involved, but authorities have requested that, due to his advanced age, Van Dyke to a driving license retest before getting back behind the wheel of a car.

Van Dyke Gave His Last Health Update Three Weeks Before Crash

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Before the crash, Van Dyke shared his secret to seeming so young even though he is in his late '90s. He said it was marrying a younger woman that had helped him stay in good health.

Dick Van Dyke during Premiere of "The Muppets Go Hollywood" at Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, California, United States | Source: Getty Images

Dick Van Dyke during Premiere of "The Muppets Go Hollywood" at Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, California, United States | Source: Getty Images

Van Dyke's wife, Arlene Silver, is 51 and has kept him feeling like they are a similar age throughout the entirety of their relationship. The couple have been married since 2012.

After Van Dyke joked that his wife was the reason he had stayed young, he gave a more serious answer, saying that he had good genes and a positive attitude.

He once again attributed his positive outlook on life to Silver, saying she helped him to stay positive in any and all situations throughout their marriage.

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Dick Van Dyke appearing in the unsold ABC tv show 'Harry's Battles', episode 'Pilot' in 1981 | Source: Getty Images

Dick Van Dyke appearing in the unsold ABC tv show 'Harry's Battles', episode 'Pilot' in 1981 | Source: Getty Images

The veteran actor said that on top of having good genes and a postive attitude, he also goes to the gym three days a week. He enthused:

"And I advise everybody to do that, because that's what ages people — it's just stiffening up and not exercising their muscles and lungs."

Van Dyke believes that exercise is one of the primary answers to youth and vitality. However, he joked that he did not expect to live this long, and if he had known, he wouldn've taken better care of himself.

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He also once joked that all his friends were dead and he wasn't going to question why he was the only one still living. He also said it is his nature to be optimistic.

"He Was A Terrific Father": His Children Thank Van Dyke for Their Upbringing

Many children loved Van Dyke for his role as the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins and his sunny disposition from the movie carried through into his real life and raising his own children.

Van Dyke has four children, Barry, Carrie Beth, Christian, and Stacy Van Dyke. Barry is the only child who has starred alongside his father.

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Barry and his father starred as a father and son in "Diagnosis Murder." Van Dyke's grandson and Barry's son, Shane, also starred in the show once.

Shane is one of seven of Van Dyke's grandchildren. Unfortunately, in 1987, Van Dyke's granddaughter, Jessica, passed away from Reye's syndrome. After she passed, Van Dyke starred in a series of PSAs to raise awareness for the syndrome.

Van Dyke credited his ex-wife, Margie, with raising their children, but takes some of the credit as he is now the father of four, grandfather of seven, and great-grandfather of four. He says he tries to be a role model to his entire family.

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Margie passed away in 2008 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and Van Dyke was so heartbroken that he felt like he had lost part of himself.

Before becoming an actor, Van Dyke had just returned from World War II and had no idea what he was going to do with his life. He admitted:

"I never had a lot of drive, but because I had family responsibilities, I had a lot of tenacity — the tenacity of a drowning man."

It was from this tenacity that his acting career was born. By 1958 he was starring in a Broadway play and two years later landed his role in "Bye Bye Birdie," which got him the recognition he needed to set his career on the right trajectory.

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Each of his children followed in his acting footsteps and began starring in their first titles early on in their lives. They mostly appeared alongside their father on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The New Dick Van Dyke Show."

Talking about having his children and grandchildren starring alongside him in his own show, Van Dyke quipped:

"That's carrying nepotism to it's ultimate!"

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Van Dyke's son, Barry, said: "He was a terrific father!" Barry gushed that his father was good to them both on and off screen and was always there when they needed him.

Barry admitted that his father was like a child in a man's body, so he was able to sense what his children needed and when without them having to say much.

The Van Dyke children also learned a lot from their father, like how to make the right choices and be an individual.

Barry passed everything he learned from his father along to his own children because he believed these lessons were incredibly valuable to him and would be valuable to his children, too.

In 2021, Barry shared a photo on Facebook that showed the bond Van Dyke shares with his sons. The photo showed Barry, Van Dyke, and some of his grandchildren all beaming at the camera.

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