About 10 days after being burned on his face, hands and chest in a gasoline fire at his Burbank vintage-car garage, comedian Jay Leno was released from the Grossman Burn Center earlier this week, with his doctor again saying he expects the former “Tonight Show” host to make a full recovery.
According to the Burn Center, Leno will continue to receive follow-up care at the Grossman Outpatient Burn Clinic.
“I am pleased with Jay’s progress, and I am optimistic that he will make a full recovery,” Dr. Peter Grossman said in a statement.
According to a statement from the hospital, “Jay would like to let everyone know how thankful he is for the care he received, and is very appreciative of all of the well wishes. He is looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with his family and friends and wishes everyone a wonderful Holiday.”
Leno, 72, suffered second-degree and near-third-degree burns on Nov. 12 while he was working on one of his vintage cars at his Burbank garage. Grossman said Leno was underneath a car when the fire began, and he suffered “pretty significant burns to his face and hands.”
The comedian was initially taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, but was ultimately transferred to the Grossman Burn Center, where he underwent at least two surgical procedures.
He also underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy to stimulate oxygen circulation in the bloodstream to hasten the healing process. Grossman described the burns as “deep second-degree burns, and possibly some third-degree burns,” noting that their severity can change over time.
“Our hope is when everything is all said and done he will do well,” Grossman said during a news conference last week. “But burn injuries are progressive and dynamic and it’s hard to predict ultimately what the final outcome will be at this stage of the game. I can say that he has been a remarkably kind and engaging resident in the hospital here. He was passing out cookies to some of the children who are here in the burn unit, and he is incredibly compliant and we’re very fortunate that he’s been so kind to everybody here.”
