GENEVA: US Secretary of State John Kerry broke his leg in a bicycle crash on Sunday, apparently after hitting a curb, and scrapped the rest of a four-nation trip that included an international conference on combating the self-styled Islamic State.

Kerry was in stable condition and in good spirits as he prepared to return to Boston for further treatment with the doctor who previously operated on his hip, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

He said X-rays at a Swiss hospital confirmed that Kerry fractured his right femur.

“The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Kirby said in a statement.

Kerry, 71, was taken by helicopter to Geneva’s main medical center, HUG, after apparently hitting a curb with his bike near Scionzier, France, about 40 kilometres southeast of the Swiss border.

Paramedics and a physician were on the scene with his motorcade at the time and provided him immediate attention. They quickly decided to order the 10-minute-long helicopter transport. The Dauphine Libere, a local newspaper, said Kerry fell near the beginning of his ride to the famed mountain pass called the Col de la Colombiere, which has been a route for the Tour de France more than a dozen times.

Right around the time of his fall, a Twitter feed about local driving conditions warned of the danger due to gravel along the pass. According to the newspaper, some Haute Savoie officials were with Kerry at the time, including the head of the region.

Kerry’s regular plane was returning to the United States carrying much of his staff and reporters who accompanied on the trip. The secretary of state planned to fly back late on Sunday aboard a plane with special medical equipment “to ensure he remains comfortable and stable throughout the flight,” Kirby said.

“Its use is nothing more than a prudent medical step on the advice of physicians”.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015

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