Driver who hit George Clooney was 'blinded by the sun'

Ambulance personnel tend to George Clooney after he was involved in an accident while riding his scooter. Photo /AP

The driver who collided with George Clooney and sent him flying 20-foot in the air earlier this week has claimed he didn't see the star as he was "blinded by the sun."

The 58-year-old actor was catapulted into the air after a car smashed into his moped as he was driving to the set of his new series Catch-22 in Sardinia, Italy, on Monday (09.07.18) and, although he managed to escape with minor injuries to his leg, Antonello Viglino - who was driving the vehicle - understands it could've been worse.

Speaking to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Wednesday, Antonello - a plumber - said: "I couldn't see anything, I had the sun in my eyes. I was just starting to turn, I'd only gone a little way over the white line. I'm in shock. It all happened in an instant. I recognised him as soon as he took his helmet off. I tried to stay calm, I was worried that he had hurt himself really badly. I could never have imagined that I would have hit George Clooney."

The impact of the crash sent George flying and he subsequently hit a car windscreen head first, causing the glass to shatter, before he was tossed to the ground.

The driver of the car says he didn't see the star as the sun was in his eyes. Photo / AP

Gianni Visciano, a witness to the accident, explained: "He was yelling and when a bodyguard took off his helmet it seemed that he couldn't move his legs."

The Monuments Men star was rushed to John Paul II Hospital in the nearby town of Olbia via an ambulance after the crash but was later discharged with minor injuries.

His wife Amal - with whom he has one-year-old twins Ella and Alexander - rushed to his bedside once she was informed of the crash, before escorting him home.

Although he suffered no broken bones, he will need physiotherapy to his knee.

His spokesman Stan Rosenfield said: "He is recovering at his home and will be fine."