Katie Arrington, who defeated Mark Sanford in the primary a couple of weeks ago in the 1st congressional district, was seriously injured in a fatal car accident last night. Details at CNN
Arrington was traveling on a highway in the passenger seat when another driver traveling in the wrong direction struck the car carrying her and a friend, her campaign said on Twitter. She and her friend were driving to Hilton Head, where Arrington was scheduled to receive an award Saturday morning, her campaign said.
Her spokesperson Michael Mule said that Arrington is alert and recovering in the Medical University of South Carolina hospital. Her family is with her at the hospital, Mule said.
The other woman in the car with Arrington was identified as Jacqueline Goff and her injuries were also listed as serious, the
Post and Courier reported. The South Carolina newspaper also reported that the driver of the other vehicle was killed. CNN has reached out to the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.
According to her campaign, Arrington suffered a fracture to her back, broken ribs, and a partial collapse of the main artery in her legs. She will have to undergo "major surgery" to remove a portion of her small intestine and a portion of her colon, and will require a stint in the main artery in her legs.
Her opponent, Joe Cunningham, has suspended all campaign activities. While I disagree with her strongly pro-Trump policies, I wish her well and hope for a speedy recovery (I’d say “thoughts and prayers”, but that would seem too sarcastic).