The worst injury that Jackie Chan has suffered in his long career in the movie industry happened during the filming of Armour of God. Over the years, the martial arts icon has sustained a long list of injuries related to his work in kung fu movies. And given that Chan has reputation for always doing his own stunts, regardless of how dangerous, it’s unfortunately not surprising that the actor’s work has resulted in so many broken bones and bruises.
One particular injury stands out above all the other dangerous stunts that went wrong. According to Chan, the worst one he ever experienced occurred shooting the 1989 Hong Kong movie, Armour of God. During an action scene shot in what was then Yugoslavia, Chan was supposed to jump onto a tree branch. As Chan said in his autobiography, Never Grow Up, it was a relatively simple stunt. Chan completed it without any issue, but was dissatisfied with the first take and wanted to do it again. On the second try, the branch snapped on impact, causing Chan to fall all the way to the ground where his head collided with a rock. When blood started spurting out of his ear, a barely conscious Chan was rushed to the hospital. He was told later that his skull had partially collapsed, which led to a piece of bone getting lodged inside his brain.
What Happened After Jackie Chan’s Brain Injury
The aftermath of Jackie Chan's fall in Armour of God was detailed in Never Grow Up. In the book, Chan explained that brain surgery had to be conducted in order for him to survive the ordeal. And due to the urgency of the situation, the operation had to be performed immediately, rather than have him flown out to a better-equipped hospital. In the end, the operation was a success and the bone fragment was removed. Chan only spent seven days in recovery before returning to the set to finish filming Armour of God. But while it’s true it didn’t take him long him to recover from the incident, the injury’s impact is still felt today. Chan says that he has a minor depression in his head and permanent hearing loss in one ear.
Other Severe Injuries Jackie Chan’s Stunts Have Caused
Considering everything that happened and the fact that he almost died shooting that Armour of God scene, it’s undoubtedly the most harrowing experience of Jackie Chan's entire career. However, it’s worth noting that were some incidents in Chan’s past work that were quite serious as well. Chan was knocked unconscious during Hand of Death, stabbed in the arm during Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, and stabbed a second time (this time in the foot) in Who Am I? And in Police Story, an accident with a wire during a fall scene caused significant damage to his spinal chord.
The nature of Jackie Chan’s work in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s culminated in the actor risking his life in dozens of different situations. Some, like what took place in Police Story, proved to be particularly frightening experiences for the actor. But despite all the scares he’s had to face in all his decades doing stunts, none can compare to the severity of his Armour of God injury and the life-saving brain surgery that followed.