George Clooney Slammed his Hand in a Car Door

Rumors were swirling in the past few weeks about actor and activist George Clooney injuring his hand. Stories of wild motorcycle rides, and other daring escapades were cited as causes of a bandage seen on his hand. However, his representative, Stan Rosenfield, reveals the true cause of the injury: George slammed his hand in his car door. The 49-year-old was treated at the private Ars Medica clinic in Switzerland. “The doctor has given him 30-40 more years to live, and no live animals were harmed during the wrapping of the hand,” his rep joked.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in February 2009 that, while over 43,000 people in the U.S. die in car crashes each year, over 150,000 get hand injuries while closing the car door! The injuries are caused by the crushing force of the heavy door against the hand that can cause bruising of the soft tissues or broken bones. A collection of blood under the fingernail, called a subungual hematoma, is also a common car door injury. The blood pooling under the nail will darkly discolor it, and the pressure of this blood makes the nail very painful to touch. Treatment is either by drilling a small hole in the nail to release the pressure, or removing the nail.