Senator John Fetterman was at fault in car crash and was seen driving at “high speed,” police said

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania state Sen. John Fetterman was observed driving at a “high rate of speed” Sunday morning immediately before he struck another car on Interstate 70 in Maryland, according to a state police report.

The police report states that Fetterman was responsible for the accident.

Both cars were towed and Fetterman, his wife Gisele and the motorist he struck were all taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police said. Fetterman’s office confirmed the accident earlier this week and said he was treated for a shoulder contusion and released within hours.

According to court records, the Democratic senator pleaded guilty to speeding by 34 mph in Pennsylvania earlier this year.

The accident on Sunday, just before 8 a.m., occurred after another motorist saw Fetterman pass them “at a high rate of speed, well above the posted speed limit,” the police report said. The speed limit on I-70 is 70 mph (113 km/h).

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

Fetterman returned to his home in Braddock, Pennsylvania, and posted a video in which Gisele confessed to the accident, thanked well-wishers, and said that this was not how they wanted to spend their 16th wedding anniversary.

Fetterman, 54, suffered a stroke in May 2022 while campaigning. As a result, he still has trouble speaking fluently and processing spoken conversations quickly. During congressional hearings and routine conversations, he often uses devices to transcribe spoken words in real time.