Sen. Blumenthal fractures femur at parade for U-Conn. basketball team

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) was expected to undergo surgery Sunday for a fractured femur caused when a person recording him at a parade Saturday tripped and fell on him.

Blumenthal, 77, described the event to News12 Connecticut and on social media. He wrote on Twitter that the person who fell on him was “a fellow parade goer,” and that the surgery would be routine.

“Just to make sure everything heals properly,” he tweeted. “I expect a full recovery!”

Spokespeople for Blumenthal did not immediately return messages seeking comment Sunday.

The parade in Hartford was in celebration of the University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball team winning the 2023 NCAA Championship on Monday, defeating San Diego State, 76-59. About 45,000 attended the parade, according to one report.

Blumenthal tried to make light of the event. After Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) noted on Twitter that Blumenthal managed to finish the parade after fracturing his femur, Blumenthal replied, “What can I say, I love a parade!”

The injury comes weeks after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was released from inpatient physical therapy for a concussion and broken rib he suffered after falling at a private dinner in Washington.

McConnell, 81, has not been seen in public since the fall, but has called colleagues to say he is eager to return to work.

Blumenthal did not say on Twitter nor in his interview with News12 how long he expected to be out of work. The Senate is in recess and scheduled to reconvene on April 17.

The Connecticut lawmaker is serving his third term in the Senate. He was easily reelected last year, defeating a first-time candidate, Republican National Committee member Leora Levy. Since Blumenthal first won election to the Senate in 2010, after about two decades as the state’s attorney general, he has focused on veterans affairs, homeland security and criminal justice. He is chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and is a member of the committees on Armed Services and the Judiciary.

In February, Blumenthal expressed concerns over potential security risks posed by the popular app TikTok, and then traveled to Germany to observe the training of Ukrainian soldiers there. In March he joined nearly three dozen senators in calling for the Defense Department to ensure abortion access for U.S. service members.