Ashley Judd Recovering In ICU From Leg Injury After Fall In Congo Rainforest

In an Instagram live video with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof on Friday, actor and author Ashley Judd appeared from an ICU unit in South Africa to share her traumatic experience of shattering a leg in an African forest. The actor and activist has injured herself in what seems like a serious accident. She faces a long recovery and is admitted there in hospital.

I spoke with @AshleyJudd in an Instagram conversation about her catastrophic accident in DR Congo, the health needs there, and how to address those needs through @UNFPA. Ashley's in hospital and faces a long recovery, but she'll keep her leg. Convo is at https://t.co/wLqMMTac5w

— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) February 12, 2021

Judd narrated that she was on a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to research bonobo apes when she tripped over a fallen tree in the dark. When Kristof asked the actor whether she was in pain, she said she was in a lot of love. "I'm in a lot of compassion, and I'm in a lot of gratitude," said Judd.

The actor further shared that she was in an “incredibly harrowing condition for 55 hours,” and was lying on the forest floor for the first five hours, biting her stick like a wild animal howling. Judd was then supported by her colleagues who were handling her ‘catastrophic’ leg while another one went on to search for help.

Recalling her painful accident, Judd said, "I'm going into shock. The pain is really bad right now and my teeth are chattering. I'm in a cold sweat. I think I'm gonna vomit. Can I have some water?”

Before reaching the operation unit in South Africa, Judd was carried in a hammock for an hour and a half long trek out of the rainforest and back to camp. She was later driven on a motorbike for six hours and had to stay the night holding the top part of her shattered tibia together. "I was at the edge of my very edge," she said.

Judd is currently in an intensive care unit and recovering from her leg injury. Her right foot is currently lame, but it’s going to take time and physical therapy to heal it, she says. “I will walk again because I’m determined, and I believe in modern science and miracles.”

However, the actor additionally mentioned the poor health care in the Congo which is not enough to deal with medical emergencies like the one she experienced. “It’s not just the lack of electricity, but the lack of a simple pain killer when you damaged your leg and shattered it in four pieces with nerve damage,” she said.