Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) was briefly hospitalized Sunday after rear-ending another driver on a Maryland highway, a spokesman confirmed to The Washington Post on Monday.
The senator was with his wife, Gisele, at the time of Sunday’s accident.
“On Sunday morning, John and Gisele were involved in a traffic accident with another driver and were examined at a local hospital,” Fetterman’s spokesperson said in a statement. “John was treated for a bruised shoulder and released from the hospital that afternoon. They are both doing well and are happy to be back in Braddock.”
Maryland State Police released further details about the accident, saying the crash “occurred shortly before 8 a.m.” when the car the senator was driving rear-ended another vehicle.
“Based on a preliminary investigation, a Chevrolet Traverse and a Chevrolet Impala were traveling westbound on Interstate 70 when, for an unknown reason, the Traverse struck the rear of the Impala,” Maryland State Police said in a statement to The Washington Post. “The driver of the Traverse has been identified as John Fetterman, 54, of Pennsylvania.”
A passenger in the other car was also taken by ambulance to War Memorial Hospital in West Virginia, just across the Maryland state line, police said.
“No tickets have been issued. The accident remains under investigation,” the police department added.
Fetterman, 54, has been plagued by several health issues during his time in office, including a stroke in May 2022 that required doctors to install a pacemaker and defibrillator.
The 6-foot-8-inch senator was hospitalized at Walter Reed Hospital for more than a month in February and March 2023 for clinical depression.
The Pennsylvania Democrat has made waves in recent months for his vocal support for Israel in its war with Hamas – a position not supported by a majority in the Senate.
In an interview with Bill Maher on Friday, Fetterman said that experiencing his near-fatal stroke gave him the courage to speak his mind.
“There’s a line in the first Batman from the Joker: ‘I’ve already died once. And it’s so liberating,'” the senator said.
“It’s liberating in a way. And after going through all of that, I really [want to] “You can now say what you truly believe and not be afraid of any backlash,” he added.
