The actress opened up about her accident during an Instagram Live with 'The New York Times.'
Ashley Judd is in the intensive care unit after suffering an accident in the Congo region of Africa. The 52-year-old actress opened up about shattering her leg during an excursion while chatting from her hospital bed with The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof in an Instagram Live.
"I'm in an ICU trauma unit in beautiful South Africa, which has taken me in from the Congo, a country I deeply love which is not, unfortunately, equipped to deal with massive catastrophic injuries like I have had," Judd shared, adding, "And the difference between a Congolese person and me is disaster insurance that allowed me 55 hours after my accident to get to an operating table in South Africa."
She also touched on her privilege of being able to get quick help as opposed to Congolese people who don't always have access to medical help or "the lack of a simple pill to kill the pain when you've shattered a leg in four places and have nerve damage."
Judd shared that while on an excursion while researching Bonobos, her head lamp wasn't working properly and there was a fallen tree which she tripped over and broke her leg. She then detailed the "incredibly harrowing" accident, "howling like a wild animal" and "going into shock" and passing out due to the pain.
Judd said it was about five hours before another "hour and a half in a hammock" being carried out of the rainforest. She then rode on a motorcycle for six hours to get to another location.
"I was at the edge of my very edge," Judd expressed, adding that this is where her privilege came in after paying someone to drive them. It would take about 55 hours for her to be treated in South Africa.
Judd, who reconnected about losing her WiFi connection in the hospital, also made sure to note how lucky she is to be able to get the help she needs when many people in the country cannot. The actress also thanked everyone who helped her reset her leg and help her get to the ICU.
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