Rudy Giuliani has been hospitalised following a car crash in New Hampshire, a spokesperson for the former New York City mayor said.
Mr Giuliani suffered “a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg” when his vehicle was struck from behind while driving on a highway near Manchester on Saturday evening, according to Michael Ragusa, Mr Giuliani’s head of security.
“He sustained injuries but is in good spirits and recovering tremendously,” Mr Ragusa said in a statement on X, adding: “This was not a targeted attack.”
Mr Giuliani was in a rental car and “no one knew it was him”, according to Mr Ragusa.
His head of security said the 81-year-old had been “flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident” and contacted police on her behalf. The crash shortly after was “random and unrelated” to the domestic violence incident, Mr Ragusa said.
Image:
Rudy Giuliani attended Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony in January. Pic: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via Reuters
Mr Giuliani, who worked as an attorney for Donald Trump in his failed efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, is expected to be released from hospital in a few days.
His son, Andrew Giuliani, thanked people for reaching out after hearing about his father’s accident, writing on X: “Your prayers mean the world.”
“As a son, I can tell you that I’m honored to have a Dad that I can call the toughest SOB I’ve ever seen,” he added.
The crash on Saturday follows some tumultuous years for Mr Giuliani, who was once dubbed “America’s mayor” due to his leadership in New York after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
He was in the running to be the Republican presidential candidate in the 2008 election, but missed out and eventually endorsed John McCain.
It was quiet around Mr Giuliani until he emerged as Mr Trump’s personal attorney in 2018, later supporting his allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden.
But Mr Trump’s team lost dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud, and despite numerous recounts, reviews and audits of the 2020 election results, no signs of significant wrongdoing or error were found.
Two Georgia election workers successfully sued Mr Giuliani for defamation after he accused them of lying to help the presidential election, and he was ordered to pay them $148m (£118m) in damages.
As the two women tried to collect the judgment, the now-disbarred lawyer was found in contempt of court and faced a trial this winter over the ownership of some of his assets.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.