The TV show The Dukes of Hazzard was famous for the automotive stunts from the orange 1969 Dodge Charger called the General Lee. The action that appears in a television program has consequences in the real world. For example, check out the aftermath of this wrecked General Lee from Western Taney County, Missouri.
The classic Charger was the only vehicle involved in the crash. The two occupants required medical treatment with what Hollister Police Chief Preston Schmidt said the hospital called “moderate injuries,” according to the Springfield News-Leader.
“After an investigation on scene, it was determined the driver of the vehicle was traveling too fast for the road conditions and lost control of the vehicle he was operating,” Schmidt said.
Judging from the photos, the driver’s side of the Charger took most of the damage. The impact severely bent the body. The bumper is askew, and the front fender now bends into the engine bay. Part of the hood is hanging off the passenger side. There doesn’t appear to be any significant harm to the rest of the exterior.
The pictures don’t show under the hood, but the significantly bent fender likely means damage to components in the engine bay. The front wheel’s angle suggests the suspension needs work, too.
According to the Facebook post from the Western Taney County Fire Protection District (above), this Charger was a General Lee actually from The Dukes of Hazzard TV show. However, there are lots of replicas of the car out there, so we can’t know this vehicle’s authenticity for sure.
From what we can see, this one gets many of the details right. It has a tan interior, and there isn’t a passenger-side mirror. An accurate General Lee would also have a flat black section around the taillights and the word “Fuel” on the exterior gas cap.
John Schnieder who was one of the stars of The Dukes of Hazzard as Bo Duke talked a little about the General Lee in a video from 2019. He said some of the Chargers on the show used cloth medical tape for the white portions of the flag on the car’s roof. At any time during filming, there were around 13 General Lees ready for use. The production went through hundreds of cars during the seven-season run.
