Priestley Talks Future
That's among the revelations in the teen idol turned speed racer's first interview since slamming into a wall at 180 mph on August 11 at Kentucky Speedway.
"I know it was a big one, and there were some bad things that happened," Priestley says in Thursday's Indianapolis Star. "But the most important thing is that I focus on getting better, so I can go home."
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, who remembers nothing of the accident or the days surrounding it, probably won't be going home to Los Angeles for at least 10 more days, the paper reports.
Currently, he's working six hours a day at a rehab hospital in Indianapolis, in order to sweat his way back from a variety of injuries, including a concussion, a broken back, broken feet, and fractures in and around his eyes and ears.
A fracture to his right eardrum, in fact, has hindered Priestley's speech, the paper says. (He's working on that problem, too, with the help of speech therapists.)
The Star describes the now bearded 33-year-old as looking "haggard, tired" but "remarkably strong."
"He's a medical miracle," English-born girlfriend Naomi Lowde said. "He could have died from any one of his injuries."
Priestley has several reminders of his injuries, including a chest brace to protect his back (which is also bolstered with a pin) and two foot casts (lime green, the Star notes).
A professional, veteran driver whose experience behind the wheel dates back to the early '90s, Priestley sounds torn about his future on the oval track.
He says he's both itching to get back in a car and undecided about his future in the sport.
"I want to get healthy and see how my feet work before I decide," he tells the paper.
Prior to his crash, Priestley was a comer on the Indy Racing League's new Infiniti Pro Series. He was seventh in point standings, behind the spawn of track legends A.J. Foyt and Arie Luyendyk. Even today, despite having missed the last two races, Priestley sits at 10th in points.
"He was serious about trying to become a great race driver," Lowde says in the newspaper. "He gave up drinking six months ago and was in great shape. I think that's what saved him..."
Although he's out of immediate danger and doctors expect a full recovery, the road ahead isn't exactly smooth for the actor.
"Rehab is way too hard," Priestley tells the Star, "but you don't mind the work so much when you know it's going to pay you back tenfold."
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