After Safe Trip to Space, Cosmonaut Hits Co-Worker With Car

Not even three weeks after he set foot back on Earth, a Russian cosmonaut is having a rough time adjusting back to terra firma. According to the nation's Roscosmos space agency, Oleg Artemyev, who returned from trip No. 3 to the International Space Station at the end of last month, was driving late Monday outside the Star City cosmonaut training center when he accidentally slammed into a co-worker, per the AP. Per Roscosmos, Artemyev didn't see Anatoly Uronov crossing the street, "in conditions of limited visibility on a poorly lit road." Artemyev, who was said to be sober, administered first aid to Uronov until an ambulance and cops arrived.

Uronov ended up in a local hospital with multiple fractures. The training center and Roscosmos itself said they would provide him "with all the necessary assistance." Artemyev's return to Earth in Kazakhstan on Sept. 29 was after six months at the ISS. Space.com notes that astronauts usually wait—three weeks has been a typical recommendation—after coming back home before they get behind the wheel, as peer-reviewed research has shown that their ability to drive is somewhat hampered. Artemyev's accident took place about 19 days after he got home. (More cosmonaut stories.)