U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur to undergo rehab following wreck

Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur will undergo rehab following a hit-and-run crash in Toledo, and with the U.S. House on recess, she has time until she needs to return to Washington.

Kaptur was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Kegan Zimmermann, her campaign manager, on her way to a church service on Aug. 2. A second vehicle struck Kaptur’s car on N. Detroit Ave. in Toledo.

The driver of the second vehicle fled the scene, Toledo police said. A police spokesman declined to provide additional details about the driver.

“We will not return to Washington until next month, so I’m blessed to have time to recover fully,” she said in the video.

Kaptur, who has faced criticism for accepting donations from those who want to “defund the police,” praised first responders.

“It was not a pleasant experience, and there were wounds that resulted,” Kaptur added.

Kaptur was said to be “active, alert, and being treated for non-life threatening injuries” following the wreck in Toledo. Her office had not provided more details about her condition, prompting a request from Ohio.News for an update.

Kaptur and Zimmermann were transported to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center “for undisclosed, yet not serious injuries,” according to a police report. A spokesman for Kaptur did not respond to a request for more information on the congresswoman’s injuries or her plan moving forward, specifically the timing for her full return to duty.

In an interview with The Blade newspaper in Toledo, Kaptur, who spent five days at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center, said she did not break any bones but had cuts and marks caused by the car’s seatbelt and airbags. Scans, she insisted, revealed that “everything’s OK,” Kaptur told The Blade.

She also indicated Zimmermann suffered a minor wrist injury and had already returned to work.

“When she got out of the car, she couldn’t walk,” Sister Virginia Welsh told The Blade. “It was because of the pain, I guess. I don’t think there were any broken bones that would affect her walking, but she was looking, at that point, at a rehab facility.”

According to the report, Welsh has known Kaptur for more than 15 years and visited the congressman after the crash.

A spokesman for Republican Gov. Mike DeWine confirmed to Ohio.News that the governor has not yet spoken with the congresswoman since the wreck.

Kaptur, who has served in Congress since 1983, faces a tough re-election in November. She has faced questions about her votes and campaign donations, including from a pro-transgender PAC.

Republicans are throwing their support and resources behind her opponent, Derek Merrin. The National Republican Congressional Committee has added Merrin, a President Donald Trump-endorsed former state representative from Lucas County, to its “MAGA Majority” program.