Former Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm was left paralyzed from the chest down after falling from a horse in a polo accident in September, friends told The Post on Sunday.
The 45-year-old Marine veteran is being treated at the Kessler Rehabilitation Institute in New Jersey. The late Christopher Reeve, who starred in the movie “Superman,'' was also paralyzed from the neck down after falling from a horse, but has just recovered.
Grimm's injuries were so severe that friends have set up a GoFundMe. collect money The large medical bills he is expected to incur over the years.
“I hate even to say it. Mike is paralyzed from the chest down,” said his friend Vincent Ignisio, a former Republican city councilman and current deputy executive director of the New York City Board of Elections.
Ignizio said he visits Grimm frequently and that he was transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation center last week.
“He is currently incapacitated and undergoing treatment to give him the functions he can acquire. He needs a lot of prayers,” Ignizio told the Post.
Grimm was an energetic, healthy, and eager charging veteran who appeared to be up to the task.
He could smile to lighten the mood, but he was also quick to anger. He once threatened to throw a reporter from New York 1 off a Capitol balcony after asking him a question about a legal issue on live television.
“Our friend, former Marine, FBI agent, and U.S. Congressman Michael Grimm, was paralyzed in September 2024 after a catastrophic fall from a horse,” Michael Grimm Supplemental Needs Fund says the GoFundMe sponsored by. “Although he was in the most dire situation, by the grace of God, Mr. Grimm was miraculously able to thread the needle and survive.
“But his continued care and treatment to walk again will cost millions of dollars. For this person who has dedicated his life to helping others, we are now making sure you We humbly ask you to donate generously to help.
As of Sunday afternoon, more than $36,000 had been raised.
Even former Brooklyn City Councilman Domenic Recchia, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress against Mr. Grimm in 2014, donated $250 to his former political nemesis.
“This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. It's a human issue. He's a human being,” Recchia said.
“Michael Grimm gave his life for his country in the Armed Forces, and we must come together.
“It was a tragic accident. We hope that one day he will be able to walk again.”
State Rep. Michael Tanoussis, leader of the Staten Island Republican Party, appealed to as many people as possible to come to Grimm's aid.
“Senator Grimm is a dedicated public servant who served us on the battlefield and on Capitol Hill. We need to come together as one community to help Michael in his time of need,” Thanousis said. said.
According to the GoFundMe page, Grimm fell from a horse while playing polo on September 22nd.
He served in Congress from 2010 to January 2015, representing Staten Island and southern Brooklyn.
He was re-elected in 2014 despite being indicted for tax evasion. But he resigned after being re-elected and pleaded guilty to under-reporting income from an Upper East Side restaurant he once co-owned and taking employees off the books.
Grimm served seven months in prison.
He attempted to return to politics in 2018, but lost in the Republican primary to then-Republican Rep. Dan Donovan.
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis currently represents the 11th Congressional District.
