Justin Bieber’s granddad crashes car during Christmas visit

Justin Bieber. AP PHOTO

OTTAWA—Teen idol Justin Bieber’s grandfather was sent to hospital with broken ribs after rolling his SUV off a highway and into a ditch while the Canadian singer was visiting over Christmas, police said Thursday.

The young heart-throb’s grandmother Diane Dale, 61, was also in the Hyundai Santa Fe when it slid off a “snow-covered and slippery road” near Stratford, Ontario about 150 kilometers west of Toronto on Tuesday, but was unhurt.

The 17-year-old Bieber was not in the vehicle at the time.

Perth County, Ontario police spokesman Glen Childerley said Bieber’s grandfather Bruce Dale, 67, was at the wheel and lost control of the sport-utility vehicle.

“It left the road, ended up in the ditch and flipped, but ended up landing on its wheels,” he told AFP.

The grandfather was taken to hospital by ambulance, treated and released the same day, Childerley added.

Crowds of teenage girls, meanwhile, gathered outside the elderly couple’s home in the freezing cold hoping to get a glimpse of Bieber, who has been visiting his mother’s folks this week.

Bieber’s mother tweeted about the accident, asking his fans to pray for her father to heal quickly and reminding all to “count your blessings and forgive ur parents always. U never know what tomorrow holds!!!”

She later thanked Bieber fans for their outpouring of support, adding: “Papa is sore but he’s ok! My mom has a broken and swollen finger but she’s tough as nails!”