Lawmaker Who Beat Mark Sanford Is Badly Injured

A South Carolina lawmaker who defeated US Rep. Mark Sanford in his re-election bid has been seriously injured in a car wreck and will require weeks of recovery and more procedures, according to her spokesman, the AP reports. State Rep. Katie Arrington has undergone surgery for her injuries and was recovering Saturday in a Charleston-area hospital, says spokesman Michael Mule. According to the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, Arrington and a friend were traveling southbound on US Highway 17 around 9pm Friday when another driver traveling in the wrong direction hit their vehicle.

The driver of the other vehicle died at the scene, according to Sheriff's Capt. Roger Antonio. Mule says the Summerville Republican sustained a back fracture, as well as several broken ribs, and underwent surgery to remove portions of her small intestine and colon. Mule says Arrington will need more surgeries, as well as a stent to repair the partial collapse of the primary artery in her legs, and would need to stay in the hospital for two weeks. He told news outlets that Arrington was alert and talking Saturday morning. Arrington, 47, defeated Sanford in a GOP primary earlier this month, repeatedly highlighting Sanford's criticism of President Donald Trump.

(More car accident stories.)