Rudy Giuliani is recovering from a car accident in New Hampshire this weekend that left him with a fractured spine.
The resilient former New York mayor, who is a close friend of President Trump, was released from a hospital Monday afternoon in "high spirits", the New York Times reported.
Michael Ragusa, the head of Giuliani's security, released a statement on Sunday explaining that Giuliani was struck "from behind at high speed" on Saturday night.
Moments earlier, Giuliani had stopped on the side of the highway to assist a woman who was involved in a domestic violence incident. Giuliani called 911 and stayed with the woman until police arrived.
"Following this, while traveling on the highway, Mayor Giuliani’s vehicle was struck from behind at high speed,” Ragusa’s statement continued. “He was transported to a nearby trauma center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg.”
Ragusa said the car accident was random and not related to the domestic incident preceding it.
19-year-old Lauren Kemp, of Concord, has been identified as the driver of the Honda HR-V that hit Giuliani's Ford Bronco, which was being driven by his spokesperson Ted Goodman on Interstate 93 near Manchester.
State troopers witnessed the crash, which sent both cars into the median, police said.
“Thank you to all the people that have reached out since learning the news about my Father,” Andrew Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani’s son, wrote in a post on X. “Your prayers mean the world.”
The sad news of Giuliani's injuries led to mockery from some leftists on social media - but Giuliani is staying strong, his friend Arthur L. Aidala told the Times.
“I have some healing to do, but I’m otherwise in great shape," Giuliani told Aidala.
Giuliani became known as "America's mayor" for lifting the nation up after the horror of September 11, 2001.
In the Trump era, Giuliani has become a widely hated figure among Democrats. His loyalty to Trump has come with a price: for his efforts to challenge the 2020 election, Giuliani lost his law license, and he had his mugshot taken in a since-derailed criminal case brought by a disgraced Democratic prosecutor.
The former mayor was also ordered to fork over $148 million to a pair of election workers who demanded just about everything he owned, including his apartments and World Series rings, before he reached an undisclosed settlement.
In the wake of Giuliani's car accident, President Trump announced that he is awarding his friend the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
