The Truth About William Shatner's Car Accident

William Shatner added to his expansive résumé in October when he traveled to space. The man, who is famous for portraying Captain James T. Kirk on the original "Star Trek," was one of four passengers on the second Blue Origin spacecraft to carry humans to space, per NPR. Upon returning from the 10-minute journey that involved going 351,000 feet into the air, and experiencing weightlessness, Shatner delivered a passionate speech to Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin.

"The covering of blue. This sheet, this blanket, this comforter that we have around," the actor described (via NPR). "Then suddenly you shoot through it all of the sudden, as though you're whipping a sheet off you when you're asleep, and you're looking into blackness, into black ugliness." Afterwards, Shatner continued to pontificate on Twitter when he described space travel as "the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."

Tragically, one of Shatner's crewmates on the Blue Origin died only weeks after their expedition. On November 11, Glen de Vries died in a plane crash, per BBC. He was aboard a single engine Cessna that went down in a wooded area in New Jersey. De Vries was an instrument-rated private pilot and the other passenger on the plane, Thomas Fischer, owned a flight school, per NBC New York. The next month, Shatner was involved in a frightening crash of his own.

On December 21, William Shatner was involved in a car crash while driving in Studio City, California, per Page Six. The 90-year-old was alone driving his Mercedes Benz SUV when he was involved in an accident with another driver. Details of the crash were not revealed, but photos obtained by Page Six showed the other driver's Acura up on a sidewalk, while Shatner's Benz was parked with minor, but visible damage. The Los Angeles Police Department showed up to the scene, but did not file a report as luckily, neither party sustained injury. Photos showed the "Boston Legal" actor on his feet interacting with authorities after the accident, and both drivers exchanged information.

Five years earlier, Shatner had an experience that was far more harrowing than his car crash. "But in 2016 I had an entirely different encounter with death," he penned in a 2018 essay for NBC News. "I was told by a doctor I had a terminal disease. That I was going to die," Shatner wrote. Tests revealed that the veteran actor had "aggressive" prostate cancer. Fortunately, it was a false diagnosis caused by testosterone supplements Shatner had been taking.

Even though the "Star Trek" alum was not actually terminal, the experience made him take stock of his life. "I want to share with you, for the first time, my secret to live a good, long life: Don't die," he wrote for NBC News. "That's it; that's the secret. Simply keep living and try not to slow down."