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Harrison Ford shares details of horrific Star Wars accident for the first time

Ainhoa Barcelona
Content Managing Editor
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It was an accident that happened in the summer of last year but Harrison Ford is only just about ready to dish the gruesome details. The 73-year-old, who has been promoting Star Wars: Force Awakens this week, was left with broken bones and a dislocated ankle while filming the blockbuster.

Harrison was standing in the doorway on set, talking to director JJ Abrams in his costume, when the gory incident took place.

"In the original film, the door, if there had been a door, it would have been closed with a pulley and a stage hand just closing it," Harrison explained on The Jonathon Ross Show. "But now we had lots of money and technology and so they built a great hydraulic door which closed at light speed."

harrison ford1 © Photo: Getty Images

Harrison Ford dislocated his ankle and broke both bones in his left leg

"And somebody said, 'Ooh I wonder what this is?' [pretends to point at buttons] and the door came down and hit me on my left hip because I was turned to my right," he added.

"And then it flung my left leg up and it dislocated my ankle and as it drove me down to the floor, my legs slapped on the ramp up to the millennium falcon and broke both bones in my left leg."

Harrison, who reprises his role as Han Solo, admitted that he still doesn't know who the culprit is. "I don't know and I don't want to know," he said.

harrison ford2 © Photo: Getty Images

Director JJ Abrams suffered a stress fracture on his back trying to help Harrison

The Blade Runner star went on to say that JJ also injured himself trying to save Harrison. "He actually suffered a stress fracture on his back," said Harrison. "It was, might I say, dramatic."

Filming was put on hold after the June incident, and didn't resume until August, although Harrison was back on his feet before then. The actor suffered another health setback the following year in March 2015, when he was involved in a plane crash in Santa Monica.

harrison ford3 © Photo: Getty Images

"My wife, who is a wonderful lady, understands my passion for aviation," said the actor

Harrison, who has had his pilot's licence for 19 years, was forced to make an emergency landing at a golf course.

"This is it, the left leg was in the door and the right leg was in the aeroplane crash," he said of his injuries. "It turned out well... I count myself as a lucky guy although I broke my other goddamn leg."

Harrison's wife Calista Flockhart, 51, remained at her husband's bedside while he recovered in hospital for a month. "My wife, who is a wonderful lady, understands my passion for aviation," said the actor. "She understands what it means to me and flies with me to this day."

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