Minnie Driver 'grateful to be alive' after brutal car accident in France

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Aug 6, 2026

Published in Women

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Minnie Driver said she is “so grateful to be alive” after she suffered a neck injury during a “really bad car accident” in France.

The Oscar-nominated actress opened up about the harrowing incident in a video she shared to Instagram on Thursday. In it, she can be seen laying in bed and sporting a neck brace.

“I got into a really bad car accident a few days ago with my friend Ben and we somehow walked out of it,” 56-year-old Driver said in the clip. “Well, we didn’t walk out of it. We crawled out of it. But we did get out of it alive.”

Driver continued on to say the crash was not their fault, explaining that they “were driving on a country road” when another vehicle failed to stop at an intersection. She said it was going quick enough that they could not avoid it so “we just T-boned it.”

“I’m fine, I’ve got a sprained neck and I’m really in shock and sort of cry all the time,” she added, “but I’m going to heal.”

The “Emily in Paris” actress also heaped praise on her vehicle — a Kia EV2 — telling fans “the reason that I’m not dead” is because of its “360-degree airbags.”

She continued: “While this categorically is not a car ad — can you imagine if that’s what I was doing — I want to celebrate that car. You know, I’m Minnie Driver, pun intended. I need to celebrate the car that saved us, because we’ve got families and people who love us, and I am so grateful to be alive.”

Driver also shared a photo of the wrecked car and another of her and her friend walking out of the hospital together, arm in arm.

“So, Kia, you are a baller car company,” she concluded. “You’re amazing, and thanks very much from me and my mate Ben.”