‘Hacks’ Jean Smart Recalls NYC Accident That Left Her Waiting In The 'Treacherous' Streets

Jean Smartis opening up about a recent accident that caused her to undergo surgery.

The “Hacks” actress had to bow from her ongoing one-woman Broadway show to recuperate from the knee injury endured.

With Smart set to make her stage comeback, she went into details of what went wrong, blaming the streets of New York City.

The veteran actress, who is recovering from her knee surgery, recalled how she “went down like a ton of bricks” while running errands around the Big Apple.

The incident happened on the Fourth of July, and Smart was with her sons when she turned too quickly to catch a cab. Unfortunately, she didn’t notice the "hockey-puck-sized" base of a barrier on the ground and hit her leg against it.

The 73-year-old was immediately rendered immobile and had to wait for first responders. Speaking to PEOPLE Magazine about the mishap, she said, “As I was sitting there in the street waiting for the ambulance, a guy came along and tripped over the same thing.”

Turns out the incident isn’t uncommon in New York, as the nurse in the hospital confirmed the frequency. 

"She said, 'Oh, I, I know exactly what you're talking about. We get one a day,'" Smart recalled. "And that's in a tiny little hospital. I said, 'Well, how come nobody's screaming bloody murder about it?'"

Although the “Designing Women” alum has nothing but love for the Big Apple, she couldn’t help but complain about the poor condition.

She lamented that “sometimes the streets are a little treacherous” and have "potholes and things like that." 

The Emmy winner also had a bone to pick with New Yorkers, saying, “People in New York, they put up with a lot. They just kinda shrug and go, 'Eh, what are you gonna do?'”

Luckily, Smart was able to undergo surgery four days after the accident thanks to a "wonderful surgeon” she didn’t name.

After two weeks of recuperating, Smart is due to make her return to Broadway. 

While she is not entirely out of the woods, the two-time Golden Globe winner confirmed she will be equipped with “a leg brace” on stage.

“I won't be doing as much as I was physically, although it's a one-person show — it's not like I was doing big tap numbers and somersaulting across the stage,” the “Fargo” actress shared.

She then joked that she hoped the audience wouldn’t be disappointed by her restricted mobility. According to her, "They won't notice it, and they'll just enjoy the story."

Smart’s “Call Me Izzy” play is described as “a darkly comedic story about one woman in rural Louisiana who has a secret that is both her greatest gift and her only way out.”

Smart is no stranger to discussing her health struggles, as she knows the consequences all too well. 

After losing her long-time husband, Richard Gilliland, in March 2021, to a heart condition, the Washington native began taking her health much more seriously.

As The Blast previously reported, the Hollywood star said Gilliland’s loss ''dramatically'' changed her perspective on life. 

"It made more sense for me to get smarter about my health decisions. I'm the one running the show now, completely on my own, and if something happens to me, what happens to my kids?" Smart explained.

As a result, the "Frasier" alum began taking her heart symptoms more seriously, prompting her to undergo a successful surgery in February 2023.

"If I hadn't been a single mom, I'm not sure I would have pursued that as quickly as I did," she shared.

When the Hollywood star isn’t talking about her health, she uses her platform to raise awareness about current social issues.

Earlier this year, after bagging the award for Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy, Smart advised TV networks against spending on award shows.

Instead, she urged that they make financial contributions towards helping victims of the California wildfires. 

“With ALL due respect, during Hollywood's season of celebration, I hope any of the networks televising the upcoming awards will seriously consider NOT televising them and donating the revenue they would have garnered to victims of the fires and the firefighters,” she wrote.