Famed adventurer SIR RANULPH FIENNES is facing a police investigation after he was hospitalised following a car crash.
The explorer, who is cousin to actor brothers Joseph and Ralph Fiennes, was driving his Jaguar sportscar near Stockport, England on Saturday (06Mar10) - the day before his 66th birthday (07Mar10) - when he was involved in a collision with another vehicle.
The crash took place a day after Fiennes competed in a gruelling 42-mile (68-kilometre) night time endurance race through the countryside.
He was reportedly hospitalised after the accident but is believed to have suffered no serious injury, while the other driver was treated for a suspected broken leg, and a five-year-old boy suffered minor head injuries.
A source tells British newspaper the Daily Mail, "Sir Ranulph was taken to hospital for a check-up - he wasn't injured but was pretty shaken. He was spoken to by officers but not formally arrested. So far there is no evidence of wrong-doing. He wasn't drunk and there was no suggestion he was being reckless or speeding."
A police spokesperson says, "We received a call at around 1.55pm on Saturday to say there had been a serious accident on the A6 (road). A Jaguar car had been involved in a head-on collision with a Nissan Micra. The driver, a man in his 40s, was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg. Investigations are ongoing."