LEWISTON, Maine, June 22 -- Doctors at a Maine hospital say best-selling horror author Stephen King needs even more surgery after spending 12 hours on the operating table over two days to repair injuries suffered when struck by a van while out for a walk in rural Maine. Dr. David Brown, King's surgeon at the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston said on today's NBC 'Today' program that the famed author spent seven hours in surgery Monday, 'a couple hours longer than anticipated primarily because of the difficulty of the fractures of his lower leg.' He suffered fractures of the right leg and hip and a collapsed lung, along with cuts and bruises from being knocked 14 feet by the impact. He underwent about five hours of surgery Sunday. Brown said that if everything goes well today, 'We'll bring him back to surgery tomorrow to fix the cup of his hip joint.' The doctor said King, 51, 'really has been in surprisingly good spirits, he has a good perspective and a lot of support from his family. ' He also has received good will wishes from around the world. The hospital has been deluged with telephone calls and e-mail from all over as well as flowers and cards and a stuffed Garfield. Hospital spokesman Randall Dunstan said, 'There's been tremendous support shown.' Brown said there is 'some potential for some lasting impact' from the injuries. He said ligament damage in his knee potentially could give him some problems in terms of some physical activities, 'but I would doubt that those problems would be any more significant than having to wear a brace if he wants to play a sport.'
King, who wrote such widely popular chillers as 'Carrie,' 'The Shining' and 'Pet Sematary,' was apparently out for a walk Saturday evening when a man trying to control an unruly dog in his van lost control of the vehicle and struck King. ---
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