Billy Joel was hospitalized late Saturday night and treated for minor injuries suffered when his Mercedes hit a tree alongside a highway on Long Island, New York.

Joel arrived at Stony Brook University Hospital close to midnight and was discharged around 7:00 a.m. on Sunday. The hospital confirmed Joel's visit, but refused to divulge the nature of his injuries. According to police, Joel was not administered a breathalyzer test, and no charges were filed in the incident.

Last summer, Joel checked into a substance abuse and psychiatric center in Connecticut for what he described in an interview as "a prolonged period of overindulgence."

A spokesperson for Joel said the singer-songwriter is fine and that the crash will have no effect on his upcoming Face to Face Tour with Elton John. The two piano men have lined up seventeen dates for the tour so far, starting February 21st in Birmingham, Alabama.

In addition to the tour, Joel's music is the focus of the recent musical, Moving Out, which is currently playing on Broadway.

ANDREW DANSBY
(January 27, 2003)