Trucker Denny Says He’s Improving

Trucker Reginald O. Denny, who was brutally beaten in the early hours of the Los Angeles riots, said Saturday that he is doing well and that his doctors are optimistic about his future.

“I feel good,” Denny, flanked by his daughter and other relatives, told KCBS and CBS from his bed at an undisclosed hospital.

Denny, 36, who was hospitalized early last week for treatment of a blood clot in his lungs, had wires removed Saturday that were holding his jaw shut. He is now able to smile, open his mouth and eat solid food. His face was wired together after reconstructive facial surgery.

“His facial injury is very similar to someone who would have had a freeway-speed car accident and struck the face on the dashboard,” said Dr. Paul Toffel, chief of head and neck injuries at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital. Toffel has been treating Denny even though the trucker is not at the Inglewood facility.