Indiana U.S. Rep. Jim Baird was hospitalized after his vehicle was struck in a car accident, and his office said Tuesday he is expected to make a full recovery.
In a statement, Baird’s congressional office said, “He is extraordinarily grateful for everyone’s prayers during this time.” The statement did not include further details about the crash.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Baird’s wife was also hospitalized. Trump told House GOP members at a retreat at the Kennedy Center, “They’re going to be okay, but they had a pretty bad accident, and we’re praying that they get out of that hospital very quickly,” adding, “He’s going to be fine. She’s going to be fine.”
Baird represents the 4th Congressional District in west central Indiana and is 80 years old. He was first elected to Congress in 2018.
News of the accident came as Republicans in Washington mourned the death of Republican Doug LaMalfa, a seven-term U.S. representative from California. The combination of LaMalfa’s death and the resignation of Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene narrowed the party’s control of the House to 218 seats for Democrats’ 213.
The report also noted that in 2022, Indiana Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski was killed in a head-on vehicle collision in her northern Indiana district. The AP said two staffers traveling with her and the woman driving the other vehicle also died.
This story has been updated to correct the year Baird was first elected to Congress. The year was 2018, not 2019.