By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul was mowing his grass outside his Kentucky home when he came under a brutal attack by a neighbor Friday.
The attack left the Republican with five broken ribs, lung contusions and injuries to his face.
His neighbor, Rene Boucher, 59, was charged with one count of fourth-degree assault causing minor injury and has since been released on bond, Reuters reports.
“Senator Paul has five rib fractures including three displaced fractures. This type of injury is caused by high velocity severe force,” Doug Stafford, a senior adviser to Paul, said in a statement, according to multiple media reports.
“It is not clear exactly how soon he will return to work, as the pain is considerable as is the difficulty in getting around, including flying,” the reports quoted Stafford as saying. He added that the senator’s type of injury could lead to life-threatening injuries.
Authorities said it wasn’t immediately clear what prompted Paul’s neighbor to enter the senator’s property in a gated community near Bowling Green and tackle him from behind.
