Radio DJ Gareth O’Callaghan is recovering in the hospital after he and his family were involved in “a very serious car crash.” The Classic Hits presenter shared in a recent Facebook post that he would be temporarily stepping away from his radio show after he suffered serious injuries in the crash.
O’Callaghan, along with his wife Paula and her daughter Emma, were traveling to Cork and “were in heavy, slow-moving traffic on Horgan’s Quay at 2:45 p.m. when a car smashed directly into the back of ours,” the radio host shared. According to O’Callaghan, their vehicle was destroyed “in seconds.” Although both Paula and Emma “managed to get free from the wreckage,” O’Callaghan was trapped. The radio host shared photos from the scene of the accident, writing, “just to give you an idea of how serious the crash was, photos here show units of Cork City Fire Brigade and paramedics from the National Ambulance Service working on removing me from what was left of the car, having had to cut off the roof.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Paula and Emma managed to escape with only some “bad bruising and shock” and are currently recovering at home. O’Callaghan’s injuries were more severe, and after being freed from the wreckage, he was rushed to the hospital. Scans and tests taken at Cork University Hospital revealed that O’Callaghan suffered “a broken back, a ruptured lung, and some other injuries.” O’Callaghan remained hospitalized as of March 17, when he announced that he would “have to take a break from my radio show” as he continued to recover.
“We are deeply grateful to teams from Cork City Fire Brigade, the National Ambulance Service and the Gardaí for taking great care of us. Also our thanks to those who left their own cars in order to help us ahead of the arrival of the emergency services,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, I’ll have to take a break from my radio show until I know what comes next. I have been told my injuries are very serious. My special thanks to the medical teams here at CUH who have been amazing as we try to start to find a way through this awful experience. I’ll keep you posted in the coming days.”
This marks the second health crisis for O’Callaghan. In December, the legendary broadcaster underwent two surgeries following a “freak accident.” His wife revealed at the time, per the Irish Mirror, that O’Callaghan was “bringing the bins out and the bin slipped. Gareth’s fingers were caught around the handle. His fingers are in a very bad way and he has had two surgeries since Saturday.” O’Callaghan eventually made a full recovery after being hospitalized through the New Year.
