In 1954, while in Africa, Hemingway was almost fatally injured in two successive plane crashes. He chartered a sightseeing flight over the Belgian Congo as a Christmas present to Mary. On their way to photograph Murchison Falls from the air, the plane struck an abandoned utility pole and "crash landed in heavy brush."
Hemingway's injuries included a head wound, while Mary broke two ribs. The next day, attempting to reach medical care in Entebbe, they boarded a second plane that exploded at take-off, with Hemingway suffering burns and another concussion, this one serious enough to cause leaking of cerebral fluid.
They eventually arrived in Entebbe to find reporters covering the story of Hemingway's death. He briefed the reporters and spent the next few weeks recuperating and reading his erroneous obituaries.
Despite his injuries, Hemingway accompanied Patrick and his wife on a planned fishing expedition in February, but the pain caused him to be irascible and difficult to get along with.
When a bushfire broke out, he was again injured, sustaining second-degree burns on his legs, front torso, lips, left hand, and right forearm. Months later in Venice, Mary reported to friends the full extent of Hemingway's injuries: two cracked discs, a kidney and liver rupture, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken skull.
The accidents may have precipitated the physical deterioration that was to follow. After the plane crashes, Hemingway, who had been "a thinly controlled alcoholic throughout much of his life, drank more heavily than usual to combat the pain of his injuries."
The first plane crash occurred in Kenya when the plane he was in struck an abandoned utility pole during takeoff. Hemingway, his wife Mary, and their pilot all survived, albeit with injuries.
The very next day, they boarded another plane to seek medical attention, only for that plane to crash land due to engine failure. Hemingway emerged with a head wound, but again, miraculously survived. The crashes were so widely reported that he was erroneously reported dead in the press, fueling further mythos about his adventurous life.
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