Sen. Richard Blumenthal said: “I did indeed fracture my femur after a fellow parade goer tripped & fell on me during the parade.” | Francis Chung/POLITICO
Sen. Richard Blumenthal underwent surgery Sunday after suffering a broken leg during the University of Connecticut’s victory parade for its NCAA men’s basketball champions.
“I just got out of surgery to repair the minor fracture to my upper femur,” the Connecticut Democrat tweeted Sunday evening. “The surgery was completely successful and the staff, docs, and everyone here at Stamford Hospital has been magnificent.”
The 77-year-old senator said Sunday night he had “already started physical therapy” and that he planned to be back in Washington “for votes next week.” Members of Blumenthal’s staff did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.
Late Saturday, he tweeted about being injured during the parade in Hartford. “What can I say, I love a parade!” he wrote on Twitter.
“I did indeed fracture my femur after a fellow parade goer tripped & fell on me during the parade,” he said.
Because Democrats have a bare 5src-49-1 Senate majority, the health and well-being of the Senate’s Democrats has attracted a lot of attention this year, with Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) among those who have missed sessions. Prominent Republicans have also been absent at times, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. All the absences have hindered the Senate’s ability to get work done.
Blumenthal was in Hartford on Saturday to celebrate the championship that the Connecticut Huskies won last Monday by defeating San Diego State in Houston, their fifth national title. “Once again, the Huskies have inspired our state,” he and other members of the state’s delegation said in a celebratory statement Friday. “Five national championships don’t happen by accident.”
Fellow Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said that nothing was going to stop Blumenthal from celebrating the team.
“FYI after he broke his femur he got back up, dusted himself off, and FINISHED THE PARADE. Most Dick Blumenthal thing ever,” Murphy tweeted late Saturday.
In his Sunday tweets, Blumenthal made it clear he had no regrets for his enthusiasm for his state’s college athletes, mentioning the Quinnipiac Bobcats squad that won the NCAA men’s hockey championship on Saturday.
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By David Cohen
Politico
