LUCKY TO BE ALIVE

The star remains hospitalized for a broken back, and sources say it’s worse than he’s letting on

A source tells Us Kevin Hart is downplaying the severity of his injuries after his recent car crash.

Those in Kevin Hart’s inner circle have promised the comedian will make a full recovery after his car crash in Malibu earlier this month, and wife Eniko Parrish publicly declared he’s “going to be just fine.” Sources, however, have painted a much more complex picture for Us.

The Jumanji actor, 40, broke his back in multiple places after his vintage muscle car, a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, veered off Mulholland Highway, crashed into a wooden fence, rolled and landed in a ditch shortly after midnight on Sunday, Sept. 1, according to a police report. Now Hart, who’s recovering after surgery, is reported to be in excruciating pain. CLOSE CALL Hart wasn’t driving the car — his friend Jared S. Black was; and Black’s fiancée, Rebecca Broxterman, who’s also Parrish’s personal trainer, was in the car as well. The police report notes that the driver wasn’t under the influence at the time the report was taken.

But certain details have raised eyebrows — including that Hart was reportedly removed from the driver’s-side window by his security guard after the crash, then was rushed home instead of heading straight to the hospital. And a source tells Us that Hart’s wife wasn’t surprised he was

in a serious crash, as he “continues to hang out

with friends on a regular

basis,” suggesting that there could be some connection between Hart’s recent behavior and the accident, though she didn’t say what. “She remains extremely angry about the entire situation, because Kevin just doesn’t know when to stop.”

Another source, though, refutes that portrayal of the couple’s relationship, telling Us, “They’re so committed. Eniko hasn’t left his bedside in the hospital. She’s his wife. They’re a team.” Plus, the source adds, “Kevin works all the time. Everything he does in life is for his family. Family is the most important thing to him.”

The first source adds that Hart

“broke down crying in the hospital, saying he realized he could’ve died.”

The 911 calls from the scene of the crash prove just how right that is. According to a witness heard on one of the 911 calls, the actor was “not coherent at all” after the crash and “something on his back [was] pointing out of his spine.” And a source confirms to

Us that his condition is even worse than he says,

but that “Kevin wants people around him to downplay the seriousness of his injuries because he has so many project commitments. It’s going to take him many months to recover.”

LONG ROAD AHEAD

It’s said the Night School star will need extensive physical therapy following his back surgery, and his close friend Terry Crews tells Us exclusively that “Kevin’s gonna have to rebuild his life. It may be a little different for him from here on out.” But he won’t be recovering alone: Adds Crews, “I’m here to tell him… ‘I’m here for you, I got your back.’”

Other celebrities have also rallied around Hart, including Jamie Foxx and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who left his honeymoon early to fill in for his buddy on Kelly Clarkson’s new talk show on Sept. 4 (Hart was scheduled to be Clarkson’s first guest). “When my son @KevinHart4real goes down with an injury, his big daddy steps in,” Johnson said at the time.

BUTTON PUSHER

But not everyone is spending their time sending positive vibes to the controversial comedian, who’s somehow ruffling feathers even from his hospital bed. In the pretaped

Sept. 3 episode of HBO’s unscripted show The Shop, featuring Hart and openly gay musician Lil Nas X, Hart repeatedly made a point to downplay the rapper’s sexuality, which brought back to light Hart’s past homophobic remarks and his refusal to apologize for them. (He famously stepped down from his gig hosting the Oscars after a homophobic tweet surfaced.)

No matter your feelings about the actor, one thing is certain: He’s got a tough recovery in front of him. “It’s going to be extremely long and grueling. Physical therapy equipment has already been delivered to the house so that Kevin can begin immediately,” the first source says. And he plans to do it all without pain meds: “He doesn’t want to get addicted.”

No matter what, he won’t be doing it alone, says the second source. “Everyone is focused on his recovery.”