Steve Wilkos is still recovering from a single-car accident on Sunday that sent him to the hospital.
The Jerry Springer Show former bodyguard’s car struck several poles and a tree before ending up on its side in Darien, Connecticut. Police at the scene told the local paper that the driver was injured in the crash and taken to a local hospital for treatment.
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Wilkos said he was admitted to Stamford hospital following the crash, but he has already been discharged.
“I feel lucky to be alive after seeing my car. I am so thankful to the first responders from Post 53 and our local police department in Darien, CT, as well as all the wonderful people who took care of me at Stamford hospital,” Wilkos told Fox News in a statement.
The 53-year-old told TMZ that he normally wears glasses when he drives, but didn’t have them on at the time of the accident. He alleged he was reaching for them when he hit the curb and struck the poles and the tree, setting the chain of events in motion.
He also made it clear that he never drinks or uses drugs, so impairment of that kind played no role in this accident, according to Wilkos.
The crash itself remains an open investigation, police said.
Wilkos rose to daytime TV fame as a bodyguard on The Jerry Springer Show, but branched off into his own program, The Steve Wilkos Show, in 2007.
Ironically, the host informed the press that an audio engineer on his show and his wife were involved in a separate car crash in the Darien area on Sunday. Both passed away as a result of the accident.
Wilkos’ show is similar to Springer’s in many ways, though Wilkos has developed his own “tough” on-screen persona. As a former Chicago police officer, he makes liberal use of a lie detector and interrogations to help guests determine paternity, whether their partner is cheating or even whether someone is abusive in a relationship.
The Steve Wilkos Show is expected to resume production within a matter of days, pending the host’s full recovery.
