WASHINGTON — Senator Rand Paul suffered five broken ribs and bruises to his lungs in an altercation with a neighbor on Friday at his home in Bowling Green, Ky., one of the senator’s advisers said on Sunday. The injuries, which the adviser said left Mr. Paul in considerable pain, appear to be much worse than the “minor” injuries that the police had reported on Saturday.
A rib fracture is a break in a rib bone. This typically results in chest pain that is worse with breathing in. Bruising may occur at the site of the break. When several ribs are broken in several places a flail chest results. Potential complications include a pneumothorax, pulmonary contusion, and pneumonia.
Doug Stafford, a senior strategist to Mr. Paul, said in a statement that it was unclear when the senator would be able to return to work.
According to a criminal complaint, Mr. Paul told the police that he was tackled from behind after the neighbor entered his property, NBC News has reported. The senator also had cuts to his nose and mouth and had trouble breathing because of the rib injuries, the complaint said. Mr. Stafford attributed the injuries to “high-velocity severe force.”
The Kentucky State Police arrested the neighbor, Rene Boucher, 59, and took him to the Warren County Regional Jail, where he was released on $7,500 bond. Mr. Boucher, an anesthesiologist who invented a rice-filled vest used for back pain, has a court date set for Thursday. It is unclear what set off the altercation.
In a tweet on Sunday, Mr. Paul referred to the episode as an “unfortunate event” and thanked his well-wishers for their support.
On Saturday, a spokeswoman for Mr. Paul said the senator had been “blindsided” but was “fine.” Mr. Stafford’s statement alluded to a more severe kind of attack: “Displaced rib fractures can lead to life-threatening injuries,” he said. “This type of injury is also accompanied by severe pain that can last weeks to months.” Three of Mr. Paul’s broken ribs were displaced, Mr. Stafford said.
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Mac Douglas, who lives about 100 yards away from Mr. Paul, said on Sunday that he was shocked to hear about the altercation, and that Mr. Paul and Mr. Boucher had been courteous neighbors. Mr. Douglas described the neighborhood as calm and secluded, and a place where residents did not regularly interact.
“It’s unusual when you see a senator and a doctor having problems,” Mr. Douglas said.
Still, one of Mr. Paul’s neighbors told a local news outlet that Mr. Paul and Mr. Boucher had “ongoing problems.” Mr. Paul was mowing his lawn at the time of the altercation, the neighbor said.
Jeremy Hodges, a Kentucky State Police trooper, said on Sunday that the preliminary investigation of the attack was finished, and that the police were waiting for court proceedings. Mr. Hodges said that Mr. Boucher had been charged with misdemeanor assault, in part because no weapon was used in the attack.
Cad tools serial number. “There’s always a chance that the victim, if he sought medical treatment and it’s a more serious injury, that the charges can go up,” Trooper Hodges added.
He declined to comment on a possible motive for the attack.
The episode occurred almost five months after a shooting at a baseball field in Alexandria, Va., where Mr. Paul and other members of Congress were practicing for the annual congressional baseball game. The gunman intentionally targeted Republicans; Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana was badly wounded.
If Mr. Paul faces a long delay in returning to Washington — Mr. Stafford’s statement noted that the senator’s injuries could make flying difficult — it could further complicate Republicans’ already tenuous 52-to-48 majority in the Senate. Mr. Paul, a recent golfing partner of President Trump’s, is a key vote on tax reform legislation, and he worked closely with Mr. Trump on an executive order on health care that was signed last month.