Mr Bean star saves the day at horror F1 crash

Daily Mail

29 May, 2014 02:10 AM2 mins to read

Rowan Atkinson. Photo/Getty

As well-loved character Mr Bean, he could barely look after himself.

But now, Rowan Atkinson has helped save a McLaren F1 driver's life following a horror crash in Tuscany.

The British actor was one of the first to come to the wealthy American businessman's aid after he smashed his 240mph (386km) 6.1-litre engine sports car into a tree in central Italy on Tuesday.

The driver lost control of the red-and-white vehicle, before careering off the road and crashing into the tree in a nearby olive grove.

Atkinson, 59, who had been part of a convoy of motoring enthusiasts driving their McLaren F1s through the Tuscan countryside, immediately rushed to the businessman's aid.

He was also photographed picking up pieces of debris from the sports car, which was completely destroyed after flipping on to its roof, according to The Telegraph.

Meanwhile, Italian police, firefighters and medics were called to the accident, which took place between the towns of Saline di Volterra and Pomarance.

The driver was airlifted to a hospital in Pisa, where today his condition was said to be stable.

It comes three years after Atkinson crashed his own McLaren F1 into a tree after the vehicle struck a slippery patch of road near his home in Northamptonshire in 2011.

The Blackadder actor lost control of the supercar, before careering across a carriageway and smashing into the tree, causing the vehicle to burst into flames.

Although he escaped with only minor injuries, the cost to repair the vehicle came to a staggering £910,000 (NZ$1,790,000) - the biggest repair bill ever recorded in Britain.

Atkinson, who is worth a reported £71 million (NZ$140m), paid £640,000 (NZ$1,260,000) for the rare sports car in 1997 using the proceeds from his first Mr Bean film.