Michail Antonio was reportedly trapped inside his car for 45 minutes before he was finally cut out by firefighters. The West Ham star was taken to a central London hospital, where he is in a stable condition, following a car crash in Epping, Essex, on Saturday.
Fire crews were called to the scene at around 1:02pm and reportedly fought to prise the striker out of his vehicle with cutting materials. The 34-year-old was trapped inside after a single-car collision just prior to 1pm.
According to the Daily Mail, Antonio was finally freed by a team of rescuers at around 1:45pm. He was then taken to a hospital in central London, where West Ham say he is conscious and communicating.
The report adds that Antonio may have suffered damage to both legs. Essex Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
West Ham confirmed that Antonio had been involved in a “road traffic accident” after images of a smashed up Ferrari purportedly belonging to the Jamaica international circulated on social media. The vehicle in the photos had suffered extensive damage to its driver’s side.
“West Ham United can confirm that Michail Antonio is in a stable condition following a road traffic accident this afternoon in the Essex area,” a club statement said.
“Michail is conscious and communicating and is currently under close supervision at a central London hospital.
“At this difficult time, we kindly ask everyone to respect the privacy of Michail and his family. The club will make no further comment this evening, but will issue a further update in due course.”
Essex Police said: “We were called shortly after 12.50pm on Saturday, December 7 to Coppice Row, Epping, following reports of what is believed to be a single vehicle collision involving a Ferrari.
“Emergency services attended and the driver has been taken to hospital. The vehicle has been recovered and we are no longer on scene. An investigation will be carried out by our Roads Policing Unit.
“If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us.
“Please quote incident 605 of 7 December when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible. Alternatively, please email the investigating officer, PS Mark Hewitt.”
Antonio has scored one goal in 14 appearances this season. West Ham are due to play Wolves on Monday night.