British television explorer and former army officer Levison Wood has survived a terrifying car crash in the Venezuelan jungle, fracturing his elbow in the incident. The adventurer, famed for his epic walks across continents, was filming a new documentary when the vehicle he was in careered off a narrow road.
A Terrifying Plunge in the Dark
The accident occurred in late November as Wood and his film crew were travelling from the capital, Caracas, towards the coastal town of Mochima. After a long day of driving, the Jeep slipped off the edge of a small, unbarricaded bridge over a dry riverbed around 8pm. Wood revealed the driver was likely tired and not fully focused on the road. "I could feel it coming," the 43-year-old told the Daily Mail, describing the moment the vehicle plunged a metre or two before landing on its side.
Video footage from the scene shows Wood wincing in pain as he struggled to free himself from the overturned SUV. Fearing the vehicle, which was carrying around 80 litres of petrol, could ignite into a "ball of flames," he was forced to hoist himself out through the passenger door. "The first instance was we've got to get out of this car, before it blows up," he said.
History Repeats: A Second Brush with Death
Remarkably, this is not the first time Wood has cheated death from the passenger seat. During his 2015 Himalayas expedition in Nepal, a taxi carrying him and his brother plunged 150 feet off a mountain cliff. All occupants survived with only broken bones. While the Venezuelan drop was smaller, Wood emphasised the sheer terror of the experience. "When you're in a car and you're flipping over, it's a terrifying thought," he stated.
Wood sustained a fractured elbow in the latest crash and confirmed the injury remains painful to touch. Two of his cameramen, Neil and Alberto, were also injured. Alberto, who started filming immediately after the crash, has reportedly joked that Wood is "cursed" due to the frequency of accidents on his expeditions.
Journey Continues Despite the Setback
Demonstrating true expedition resilience, the team had the car back on the road the very next day and continued their epic 8,000-mile journey the length of South America. The three-part documentary series will see Wood travel through seven countries, marking his longest journey to date. The team has now moved on to Brazil, where they are preparing to film a police raid targeting illegal loggers.
Wood was travelling without his girlfriend, Brazilian model and yoga instructor Ana Protasio, and their daughter Maya at the time of the accident. Reflecting on the broader context, he also commented on the political tension in Venezuela during filming, noting the closure of airspace and the presence of the American Navy, but observed that daily life inside the country continued with a sense of normality.
