Sen. Rand Paul Is Suffering From Six Broken Ribs, Following An Assault At His Home

The Kentucky senator was allegedly assaulted at his home by a 59-year-old neighbor on Friday. It is unclear when he will return to work.

Sen. Rand Paul is recovering from six broken ribs after he was assaulted at his Kentucky home by a neighbor on Friday afternoon, BuzzFeed News has confirmed.

Paul is experiencing "severe pain" due to his injuries which include lung contusions and three displaced fractures, senior adviser Doug Stafford said in a statement, adding that the latter "can lead to life-threatening injuries."

"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," Stafford said, adding that the "severe pain that can last weeks to months."

"Senator Paul and [wife] Kelley appreciate everyone’s thoughts and well wishes and he will be back fighting for liberty in the Senate," Stafford said.

On Wednesday, Paul thanked his supporters and said X-rays showed he had in fact suffered from six broken ribs, not five as his staff had reported earlier this week. He was also suffering from a pleural effusion, an unusual amount of liquid that can build up around the lungs.

I appreciate all of the support from everyone. A medical update: final report indicates six broken ribs & new X-ray shows a pleural effusion

The Associated Press first reported on Paul's injuries Sunday night.

The Kentucky State Police had said in a statement Saturday that Paul had suffered minor injuries in a confrontation with 59-year-old Rene Boucher on Friday, but released few details about the incident or what led to the confrontation.

Boucher, whom the AP identified as Paul's next-door neighbor citing property records, was booked into Warren County Regional Jail on fourth-degree assault charges Saturday, according to booking records.

Boucher was initially held on a $5,000 bond, but was released later Saturday, the AP reported.

According to state police, troopers arrived at Paul's Bowling Green home at 3:21 p.m. local time and determined Boucher had "intentionally assaulted Paul causing minor injury."

Boucher's attorney told Fox News in a statement Monday that the incident had "nothing to do with either's politics or political agenda." (NBC affiliate WAVE 3 reported earlier that Boucher was previously registered as a Democrat in Rhode Island).

"It was a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial," attorney Matthew Baker said in the statement.

BuzzFeed News has reached out to Baker for comment.

WAVE 3 reported over the weekend that, according to a neighbor, Paul was mowing his lawn at the time of the assault. The neighbor told the local station the two men have had ongoing problems.

A spokesperson for the senator in Kentucky told the Bowling Green Daily News on Saturday: "Senator Paul is fine."

"Senator Paul was blindsided and the victim of assault," the spokesperson told the paper.

Here is the full statement from Paul's senior adviser, Doug Stafford.

“Senator Paul has five rib fractures including 3 displaced fractures. This type of injury is caused by high velocity severe force. 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. Displaced rib fractures can lead to life-threatening injuries such as: hemopneumothorax, pneumothorax, pneumonia, internal bleeding, laceration of internal organs and lung contusions. Senator Paul does have lung contusions currently. This type of injury is also accompanied by severe pain that can last weeks to month. Senator Paul and Kelley appreciate everyone’s thoughts and well wishes and he will be back fighting for liberty in the Senate

And the statement from Boucher's lawyer.

NEW: statement from lawyer of alleged @RandPaul attacker, Rene Boucher: #RandPaulAttack


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