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Police have released an update following a vehicular accident involving Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and his wife, Gisele, and another as-yet-unidentified 62-year-old woman.
According to a police report, Sen. Fetterman was driving “well over” the posted 70 mile-per-hour speed limit when the accident occurred and has been determined to be “at fault,” Newsweek noted.
All three were taken to a local hospital, examined, and released, according to USA Today.
The crash occurred early Sunday morning, just before 8 a.m. when Fetterman’s Chevrolet Traverse struck a Chevrolet Impala in the rear on the westbound side of Interstate 70 near the Maryland-West Virginia border.
According to the police report, a witness saw Fetterman’s car traveling at a high speed when the collision happened. The witness described Fetterman’s vehicle passing her at a speed significantly above the posted limit before rear-ending the Impala just before an exit.
“Vehicle 1 (Fetterman’s) passed her traveling at a high rate of speed, well over the posted speed limit at which she was traveling at the time. Shortly after, Vehicle 1 rear-ended Vehicle 2 just before Exit 1 for I-68,” the report said, adding that officers found no other circumstances that contributed to the accident, including impaired driving and poor road conditions.
Newsweek added: “Both vehicles involved in the accident had to be towed from the scene due to significant damage. The report also mentioned that no Maryland State property was damaged in the incident. The accident resulted in minor injuries for both Fettermans, as well as the driver of the Impala, all of whom were transported to War Memorial Hospital in West Virginia for treatment. Fetterman was treated for a bruised shoulder and released the same day. In a social media post on Monday, Fetterman, appearing alongside his wife, confirmed the incident and described it as ‘the worst anniversary ever,’ before giving a thumbs-down gesture.”
“You might have heard G and I were in a car accident yesterday. Thank you all for the well wishes. Not the best way to spend our 16th wedding anniversary but we’re doing well and happy to be back home in Braddock with the family,” Fetterman wrote on the X platform in a post that included a short video of him and his wife confirming the accident and thanking well-wishers.
“Yeah, not great for your wedding anniversary but we’re both doing fine, and thank you to all of you who care,” Fetterman said, noting that he was using a bag of frozen peas — likely to reduce some swelling — and “Tylenol” for pain control.
You might have heard G and I were in a car accident yesterday. Thank you all for the well wishes.
Not the best way to spend our 16th wedding anniversary but we’re doing well and happy to be back home in Braddock with the family. pic.twitter.com/OKFmbUXtNF
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) June 10, 2024
In an interview with NBC News in December, Fetterman turned heads when he spoke frankly about his political positions, noting that he’s “not a progressive,” a statement that comes after his vehement support for Israel in its war against Hamas and calls for tougher immigration and border policies.
“I just think I’m a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I’m going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well,” he said at the time.
He has also said that squatters should be coddled and should not have any right to occupy someone else’s empty property. In addition, he’s been a vocal Democrat critic of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who has been indicted on several federal charges including bribery. Fetterman has repeatedly called for Menendez to resign, though the New Jersey senator is running again for reelection as an independent.
