As Family Feud host Grant Denyer recovers in hospital, his crash investigators have moved in

GRANT Denyer has recounted the dramatic moments leading up to his rally accident, captured in harrowing detail on the car’s dashcam. WATCH VIDEO

EXCLUSIVE

GRANT Denyer was hurtling head on towards “the biggest tree I had seen in my life” and feared he would meet the same fate as his motorsport hero, Peter Brock when he crashed during a rally car competition last Sunday.

The Channel 10 presenter told News Corp he “was in the rally Peter Brock died in. His was a much lower speed accident than ours and we all know how that one ended so it played on our mind and all I could do was wrestle the car away from a head on impact with the tree.”

His efforts proved the difference, with Denyer’s silver Lotus striking the tree’s root instead, richocheting into the tree and coming to rest down an embankment near Marysville, the site of the infamous Black Sunday bushfires.

The Family Feud host spoke for the first time since his near death crash, recovering in hospital from a broken coccyx and finger as well as severe bruising to his lower back and groin.

Denyer’s co-driver, Dale Moscatt had to be cut out of the wreckage and was operated on yesterday in Royal Melbourne hospital for a shattered knee and fractured L4 vertabrae.

Denyer, who will speak to First At Five News and The Project tonight said immediately after the crash: “all my concern was for my navigator who wasn’t in a good way. He’d hurt his back and so I managed to climb out first and make sure the car didn’t catch fire, then ran and got some help.”

Earlier today, Grant Denyer tweeted a picture - and thanks - from his hospital bed after his rally car crashed at 160km/h.

The Channel 10 favourite could be released from hospital as early as today, as crash investigation officials began a search for clues to the near death rally crash.

Dale & I can't thank u enough 4 all the wonderful messages of support. It's really lifted our spirits. V sore but ok pic.twitter.com/rSTTN7n8h8

— Grant Denyer (@grantdenyer) March 28, 2017

Network Ten have been forced to postpone filming of its popular game show Family Feud as its host and Gold Logie nominee recovers after crashing his silver Lotus while racing in a Lake Mountain rally on Sunday near Maryville, in Victoria.

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Grant Denyer's smashed Lotus Exige Sport 350 rally car is trucked back to Sydney. Picture: Bob Barker

The racing team at Artamon will check over the wreckage. Picture: Bob Barker.

Denyer was being treated with heavy pain medication in Melbourne’s The Alfred yesterday, after suffering a broken finger and coccyx, as well as severe bruising to his lower back and groin.

The TV star and his co-driver Dale Moscatt were flown to separate Melbourne hospitals within hours of the accident, which saw their car — travelling at 160km/h — leave the road and strike what is believed to have been a large tree root and “crumple around them.”

Grant Denyer setting off before the horror smash. Picture: Facebook.

The wreckage of Denyer’s Lotus Exige Sport 350 after coming to grief on the Marysville Wood Point Road during the 2017 Lake Mountain Sprint. Picture: Herald Sun

Moscatt, who had to be cut free of the wreckage, had surgery on Monday for his broken knee and was last night waiting on doctors to update him on a suspected fracture to his L4 vertebrae (lower back).

His wife Selena is understood to be by his bedside in Royal Melbourne Hospital and was visited by Lotus Australia’s chief executive, Lee Knappett.

Denyer’s wife Chezzi is expected to fly from the couple’s home in Bathurst to Melbourne on Wednesday to support her husband in recovery.

Grant Denyer and his wife Cheryl at the Logies last year. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

The mangled car arrived back in Sydney at the racing team’s headquarters in Artarmon, where engineers were attempting to recover the dashboard camera and electronic data which could hold clues to what caused the accident.

Meanwhile, Ten boss Paul Anderson told News Corp Australia, “I’ve been in regular contact with Grant since the accident yesterday.”

“Everyone at Ten is very happy and relieved that he is making good progress and is in good spirits.

“Grant is recovering well and is very excited about his Gold Logie nomination. As he said yesterday, the nomination has numbed some of the pain.”

Ten and FremantleMedia Australia moved quickly to reschedule Family Feud filming planned for this week, with the postponement unlikely to affect the show on air, as the prerecorded episodes were not due for broadcast until May.

Grant Denyer's children Sailor and Scout on the set of Family Feud. Picture: Channel 10

Richard Gibbs, the chief operating officer for Lotus, said while photos of the crash vehicle looked graphic, the high-performance car was designed to “sacrifice” its front end and take the force of any impact instead of its driver and passengers.

“I know the photos look terrible,” Mr Gibbs said.

“But the front of the car is designed to be sacrificed and disintegrate the way it did, while the middle of the car where Grant and Dale were was protected by rollbars.

“While they have been injured, it’s done its job and that’s why they walked away.”

Victoria Police said on Monday evening that they would not be investigating the crash as under competition regulations, the Australian Tarmac Rally Championships fall under the umbrella of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport.