U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he must undergo surgery to repair a broken leg he suffered Saturday during a victory parade for the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team.
In a tweet Saturday night, Blumenthal said a fellow parade goer tripped and fell on him during the Hartford, Connecticut event to celebrate the team winning the NCAA basketball title on April 4 in Houston.
Blumenthal’s hospitalization is the fifth time a U.S. senator has been taken for emergency medical care since the start of the year. Sen. Jon Fetterman, D-P.A., was hospitalized twice and stayed under doctor’s care for months over dizzy spells and depression. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calf., was hospitalized for shingles. And Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-K.Y., was hospitalized with minor brain damage after a fall at a fundraiser event.
The average age of U.S. senators is 65 years old.
Blumenthal, 77 years old, said he was awaiting surgery to fix his broken femur that was scheduled for Sunday and expects a full recovery.
“What can I say, I love a parade!” he tweeted.
Connecticut’s other U.S. senator, Chris Murphy, tweeted “after he broke his femur he got back up, dusted himself off, and FINISHED THE PARADE. Most Dick Blumenthal thing ever.”
Connecticut state Rep. Matt Blumenthal tweeted that he heard his father “was also on the reviewing stand for a while. Tough as nails, and on the mend shortly!”
Blumenthal is serving his third term in the Senate after being reelected in November. He was the state’s U.S. attorney before serving in the state House and state Senate and as Connecticut’s attorney general.
The Associated Press contributed to this article