UPDATED: Actor Will Ferrell was taken to the hospital Thursday night following a crash in Aliso Viejo, Calif., according to the California Highway Patrol.
Ferrell was a passenger in an SUV that was sideswiped and flipped over on the northbound I-5 at 10:55 p.m. Video footage from the scene showed Ferrell talking on a cell phone while being loaded into an ambulance.
The actor was not seriously hurt, his representative told TMZ. Ferrell was one of three passengers in the chauffeur-driven SUV, which was returning from a “Funny or Die” event in San Diego. Ferrell appeared as Ron Burgundy from “Anchorman.”
A 27-year-old woman was also in the SUV. She was not wearing a seatbelt, and was seriously injured, according to the Orange County Register. The CHP reported that the SUV was headed north in the carpool lane, just north of La Paz Road. The driver of a Toyota in the lane to the right swerved into the SUV, causing it to hit the center divider and flip, Officer Rafael Reynoso told the Register.
The driver of the Toyota apparently had fallen asleep and struck the rear end of the (Lincoln) Navigator causing it to hit the center divider wall,” Reynoso told the paper.
United Talent Agency issued a statement on Farrell’s behalf:
“While traveling back to Los Angeles after hosting a voter registration event in San Diego, a car carrying Will Ferrell and three of his colleagues was struck on the freeway by another vehicle. Will and his colleague, Andrew Steele, were unhurt and have been released from an Orange County hospital. Will’s longtime driver, Mark Thompson, and his other colleague Carolina Barlow, remain hospitalized in stable condition. Will is staying close by as his friends are being treated, and has expressed his deep gratitude to the first responders who were immediately at the scene and to the hospital team that took such great care of them. He’s also grateful for all the well wishes he and his friends are receiving.”