Yes, Norman Reedus was in a car accident back in 2005 in Germany. The 56-year-old actor, who has portrayed Daryl Dixon for the entire 11-season run of the AMC series, told Entertainment Weekly that the concussion he had during the March series finale was "very serious" in reality.
Reedus, known best for his character of Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead, talked about the traumatic accident when he spoke to Entertainment Weekly. Reedus had several procedures done to him including having his life eye socket replaced with titanium as well as his nose reconstructed with four screws.
Norman Reedus on his car accident in 2005
The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus suffered injuries and had major surgeries after being in a car accident in 2005 when his vehicle collided with an 18-wheeler truck.
Reedus was in Germany in February 2005 to accept a Rising Star Award at the Berlin Film Festival. He accepted Michael Stipe's invitation to attend R.E.M.'s concert while he was there. Stipe lent Reedus his car as he was leaving the show. Reedus was hit by an 18-wheeler as soon as he moved out onto the road. Reedus' face was coated with glass when he woke up after being thrown through the windshield.
After undergoing several procedures, such as having four screws placed in his nose and a new titanium left eye socket put in place Reedus stated, "My whole head was like hamburger. It was just gnarly. I thought, 'I'm never going to be an actor again. This is over."
He further added, "Oh dude, that was horrible. That whole ordeal for me, personally, was terrifying. I thought I was going to die," he said. "It was very serious. It was scary. I've been hit in the face and the head a million times. I've gone through car windows — but that one rang my bell."
"I had a neurologist. I had all sorts of s---. I failed the light test. I had a security guard in the driveway, just in case. I was holding onto the walls and walking through the rooms. It was nuts," Reedus added.
Reedus was worried about how his absence from the set was affecting production, which already had a longer filming schedule because of the 24-episode final season, as if worrying about his personal health following the injury wasn't difficult enough. "You're shooting over a year, and now we're having to postpone some of the shooting because I'm lying in bed. So the guilt of me not being at work, and people are like, 'Are we going to go a week over? Are we going two weeks over?' — that was bothering me."
FAQs about Norman Reedus
Norman Reedus is 56 years old as of May 2025.
Norman Reedus is 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Norman Reedus is of Italian, English, Scottish and Irish descent.
