Injury Forces Schmidt to Cancel Trip
Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) was forced to return early from a trip to Afghanistan after she was briefly rendered unconscious following injuries sustained from a hit-and-run in her district last week.
According to a statement from her office, Schmidt was at an Air Force base in Germany en route to Afghanistan over the weekend when she experienced a great deal of pain and was temporarily unconscious.
She was immediately taken to a local hospital where upon a CT Scan it was revealed that the incident on Wednesday when she was struck by a hit and run driver had caused more injuries than first detected at a local Cincinnati Hospital, Schmidt spokesman Bruce Pfaff said.
In the early Wednesday morning, Schmidt was hit by an unidentified driver while jogging in southern Ohios Clermont County. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Schmidt was mobile enough after the incident to drive herself to the hospital, where a medical exam revealed no serious injuries.
But doctors at the German hospital diagnosed Schmidt with two fractured vertebrae and two broken ribs that, according to her office, the X-rays following last weeks hit-and-run had not detected.
Schmidt was treated in Germany and flew back to Cincinnati for treatment at University Hospital, according to her office. Though she was not admitted to the hospital, the Congresswoman will have what her office called a reduced schedule until cleared by her doctors.
Schmidt, an avid marathon runner, is expected to fully recover.