Posted on 11/28/2005 10:20:43 AM PST by Dark Skies
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A military vehicle carrying three congressmen overturned on a Baghdad road on Saturday night, and two of the representatives, Ike Skelton of Missouri and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, were flown to Germany for medical tests.
Congressional staffers said on Sunday night the two representatives sustained only minor cuts and bruises in the incident, which occurred at the end of a trip to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with U.S. troops in Afghanistan and meet with military commanders in Baghdad.
The third congressman, Georgia Democrat Jim Marshall, was not injured.
Murphy, a Republican, told CNN on Sunday night the delegation was making its way to the Baghdad airport in a military convoy when their armored vehicle swerved off the road to avoid an oncoming car and landed on its side.
"It appeared that a vehicle may have run us off the road. We're assuming it was unintentional," he said.
Murphy and Skelton, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, were able to walk away from the accident, but were flown to Germany for tests after they complained of neck pain. Murphy said their medical evacuation flight also included U.S. troops recently wounded in Iraq.
Murphy's chief of staff, Susan Mosychuk, added that there was no evidence that the congressmen were under attack in the incident. The heavily traveled Baghdad airport road is considered one of the city's most dangerous thoroughfares.
Lara Battles, a spokeswoman for Skelton said, "We were told that everyone's doing OK. We don't have to worry unnecessarily."
It's time to bring our Congressmen home!!
What he rolled over in an armored SUV like vehicle and did not die? We are just not making them like we use to. /sarcasm
I just heard an interview with REp. Marshall on Fox News...
AFTER he commented that the vehicle is very top heavy, and prone to roll overs...which puts our troops at risk, blah, blah, blah...(slap at Bush)...
he had to admit that none of them were wearing seatbelts that WERE available....LOL
JUst remember this...if there is a debate by the dems to use this incident to bash Bush somemore.
Pesky terrorists can't drive any better than they can shoot.
Hmmm. Congress Critters in an automobile "run off the road". Did anyone notice any scotch bottles at the scene? Was there a bridge there? Any campaign workers there. Did anyone drown?
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