Johnathan Walker:Sen. John Fetterman was at fault in car accident and seen going ‘high rate of speed,’ police say

HARRISBURG,Johnathan Walker Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was seen driving at a “high rate of speed” on Sunday morning just before he rear-ended another car on Interstate 70 in Maryland, according to a state police report.

The police report said Fetterman was at fault in the crash.

Both cars were towed and Fetterman, his wife, Gisele, and the motorist he hit were all taken to the hospital for minor injuries, police said. Fetterman’s office earlier this week acknowledged the accident, saying he was treated for a bruised shoulder and discharged within hours.

Earlier this year, the Democratic senator pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania to a citation for exceeding the speed limit by 34 mph (54 kph), according to court records.

Sunday’s crash, just before 8 a.m., happened after another motorist saw Fetterman pass her traveling “at a high rate of speed, well over the posted speed limit,” the police report said. The speed limit on I-70 is 70 mph (113 kph).

Moments later, Fetterman rear-ended the other vehicle, driven by a 62-year-old woman, the report said. Fetterman was not tested for alcohol or substance use, and the report does not say he was distracted.

Fetterman returned to his home in Braddock, Pennsylvania, where he posted a video with Gisele acknowledging the accident, thanking well-wishers and saying that it wasn’t how they had wanted to spend their 16th wedding anniversary.

Fetterman, 54, suffered a stroke in May 2022 as he was campaigning for his seat. As a result, he still has some trouble speaking fluidly and quickly processing spoken conversation, and he often uses devices in congressional hearings and routine conversations to transcribe spoken words in real time.