He
may see dead people, but roadside columns are a trickier beast for Haley Joel
Osment.
The Sixth Sense star
was hospitalized in Pasadena early Thursday after reportedly losing control of
his car, hitting a brick pillar and flipping his vehicle.
According
to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the 18-year-old actor was en route
to his home in the L.A. suburb of La Canada-Flintridge at roughly 2:10 a.m. Thursday
when his 1995 Saturn--yes, Spielberg's former muse drives an 11-year-old car--jumped
the curb, collided with a four-foot brick mailbox pillar and overturned before
coming to a stop.
The onetime
Oscar nominee was alone in the car at the time of the accident and no other vehicles
were involved.
Sergeant Bob
Patterson said that Osment looked "banged up and scraped up" when deputies
pulled him from the vehicle, though the A.I. star was still alert and talking
coherently.
Osment's agent,
Meredith Fine, says that contrary to an initial report from the sheriff's department,
the actor was wearing a seatbelt when his car crashed, but had removed it prior
to the deputies' arrival.
"He
removed the belt to climb into the back seat where he was better able to exit
the vehicle," she said. "The driver's side door was blocked by the air
bag that opened on impact."
Osment
was admitted to Pasadena's Huntington Memorial Hospital where doctors treated
him for a broken rib and lacerations on his arm. The hospital said he will remain
overnight for observation.
"Haley
is doing well," Fine said, adding that the star is expected to make a "quick
recovery."
There's still
no word on what caused him to lose control of his car in the first place.
But
the curse of the former child star may not be to blame: There are no signs that
either drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident, per the sheriff's department.
Osment, whose workload has
dwindled with his age, recently wrapped production on the coming-of-age drama
"Home of the Giants". The actor stars as a fledgling journalist covering
his high school basketball team's run for the state championship, only to uncover
possible corruption among the players.
The
film is set for release later this year.
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