‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Star Recalls ‘Flatlining’ in Helicopter After Near-Death Experience

Nearly 25 years after an almost deadly car crash, Beverly Hills, 90210 star Jason Priestley is opening up about the near-death experience.

During his recent appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast Inside of You, Priestley reflected on the accident, which occurred while his vehicle was going nearly 180 mph during a practice run for the Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series at Kentucky Auto Racing Speedway.

“I bled to death in the helicopter on the way to the hospital,” the actor stated. “I was flatlined when I landed on top of the hospital, and they restarted my heart on the roof of the hospital.”

Upon arriving at the hospital, Priestley stated that his medical team “squeezed” numerous bags of O-negative blood into him. Despite the medical professionals’ efforts, the actor’s heart stopped again while he was in the elevator.

“They restarted my heart again,” he recalled. “Then, I was okay after that.”

Priestley further pointed out that he has no memory of the accident. “I lost about three weeks, three and a half weeks. It was, I don’t know, my 12th or 13th concussion. I suffered three skull fractures. I was pretty shook up for a while.”

He then revealed that his memories come from a “booklet” his father created during his healing journey. “My dad took pictures of everything,” the actor continued. “Tons of pictures of my face and what had happened.”

Priestley also said that his head was “swollen” due to the skull fractures he sustained from the crash.

“My nose got ripped off,” he stated. “My orbital bone and my cheekbone and my ocular mantle collapsed.”

The actor praised the “dudes on call” at the University of Kentucky hospital who he said stabilized him following the crash. Despite the “tough” three-month recovery, he was able to return to the racetrack where the accident occurred.

“I met the helicopter pilots who flew me to the hospital because I wanted to thank them, and they looked at me like they were looking at a ghost,” he recounted. “It was pretty crazy, but I thought it was super cool.”

Priestley remarkably didn’t suffer long-term effects from the accidents. “I have no lingering effects from it,” he added. “My feet healed up perfectly. My spine is fused, and it doesn’t bother me at all.”