King was in surgery for several hours Sunday
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June 21, 1999
Web posted at: 5:33 p.m. EDT (2133 GMT)

In this story: Driver will not be charged Master of horror fiction RELATED STORIES, SITES

LEWISTON, Maine (CNN) -- His body may be broken, but the mind is as warped as ever.

Which means the brain that created best sellers like "Carrie," "The Shining," and "Pet Sematary" is intact, Stephen King's office said Monday.

King, who was to undergo surgery Monday, faces major rehabilitation over the next year. In addition to fractures of his right leg, King suffered a broken hip, a collapsed lung and a cut on his scalp.

His office took care to note that his serious injuries were from the shoulders down.

"Mr. King's mental state is great," his office said in a statement.

The best-selling horror writer remained in serious condition at Central Maine Medical Center.

Officials said King was thrown 14 feet when he was hit Saturday by a van in rural Lovell, where he owns a summer home. Lovell is about 115 miles southwest of Bangor.

Driver will not be charged

The accident occurred Saturday afternoon as King was walking south on the shoulder of a road in North Lovell. He was hit from behind when motorist Brian Smith, 41, apparently lost control of his Dodge Caravan because his dog distracted him, Oxford County Sheriff's deputy Matt Baker said.

Witnesses told police Smith did not appear to be speeding, Baker said. He said charges will not be filed against the driver. "There's nothing to charge him with," Baker said. "He wasn't being reckless. He was just distracted."

Baker said he doesn't know of any state law requiring pets to be secured in a moving vehicle. However, he noted that King, technically, was violating the law by walking in the same direction as traffic.

The hospital has been deluged with calls and e-mail messages from King's fans all over the world.

Several jokingly gave thanks that King was not found by Annie Wilkes, a character in his book "Misery." She finds, kidnaps and tortures her favorite author after he gets into an auto wreck.

A witness at the scene of King's accident talks to sheriff's deputies

Master of horror fiction

King's prolific work -- horror novels, short stories and novellas -- has earned him the title "Master of Horror." A number of his novels have been turned into major films, including "Carrie," "The Shining," "Misery" and "Dolores Claiborne."

Three novellas from the book "Different Seasons" were also major films -- "Apt Pupil," "The Body" -- titled "Stand by Me" on the screen -- and "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," filmed as "The Shawshank Redemption."

King's books have been translated into 33 languages and published in more than 35 countries. There are more than 300 million copies of his novels in publication.

King has also written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.