Film Critic Gene Shalit Falls Asleep At The Wheel And Crashes His Car Into A House

Renowned film critic Gene Shalit is today facing criminal charges after falling asleep at the wheel of his car and then crashing it into a house.

The former Today show movie critic was driving a Honda Element in Lenox, Massachusetts, on Wednesday even he appears to have dozed off and then lost control of his automobile.

Shalit’s car then smashed into a utility pole, which seems to have woken him up and then in an attempt to save the impending disaster he swerved and instead drove into a home.

The owner’s of the home, Donald and Gracie Rawson were out at the time and no injuries have been suffered because of the disaster.

Gracie stated that “The pole slowed him down, otherwise he may have ended up in my living room. This doesn’t happen every day.”

The 86 year-old film scholar, whose bushy hair and large moustache have made him one of the most recognisable film journalists in the world, immediately admitted to police officers who attended the scene that he’d fallen asleep at the wheel.

Shalit’s car was then towed and he has now received a summons to attend court in Great Barrington’s Southern Berkshire District Court at a later date where he will be charged with dangerous driving. Possible punishments could see his driver’s licence revoked or suspended plus he could be handed a fine of $200 or even might fail a prison sentence of up to two years.

Shalit lives in Stockbridge, close to where the crash occurred, and retired from film criticism in 2010.