Harry Reid Battles Exercise Equipment, Loses [Updated]

Harry Reid sustained what sound like serious injuries on New Year’s Day, allegedly while exercising. This is the complete statement that was issued by his office:

On Thursday, Senator Reid received treatment at University Medical Center in Las Vegas for injuries sustained in an accident he suffered while exercising at home in Henderson.

A piece of equipment Senator Reid was using to exercise broke, causing him to fall and break a number of ribs and bones in his face.

Senator Reid will return to Washington this weekend and be in the office Tuesday as the Senate prepares to reconvene. His doctors expect a full recovery.

Senator Reid was first brought to St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson by his security detail. He was then transferred to UMC for further testing, where he was admitted overnight as a precaution.

The obvious question is, what time on January 1 did the accident happen? If it was 3:00 in the afternoon, I can buy the story that Reid was exercising. But if it was 2:00 in the morning on New Year’s Eve? There’s not a lot of exercise equipment in use in the middle of the night.

One wonders, too, what sort of exercise equipment can break, causing multiple broken ribs and facial fractures. The only candidate anyone has come up with, to my knowledge, is a treadmill. I’m not sure how a treadmill “breaks”–by suddenly stopping, or going really fast in reverse?–but a moment of inattention, dizziness or the like could cause one to fall off. I vaguely remember, quite a few years ago, being hurled off the end of a treadmill at surprising velocity. The exact circumstances are foggy, but I am sure I wasn’t putting the treadmill to its intended use at the time. In any event, I can sympathize with Senator Reid if that is what happened.

Call me paranoid, but I find the vagueness of Reid’s press release suspicious. Back in the days when we had investigative journalists, we could be sure of eventually learning what really happened. But in the era of Praetorian Guard journalism, Reid’s strange mishap could remain forever a mystery.

UPDATE: This is Reid’s story:

The accident happened when an elastic exercise band broke, striking Reid in the face and causing him to fall, said spokesman Adam Jentleson. Reid struck some equipment as he fell, breaking multiple bones near his right eye.

As he hit the floor, he broke several ribs, Jentleson said. …

Jentleson said Reid is likely to have severe facial bruises.

Make of it what you will. Still no indication of the time of day (or night) when the incident occurred.

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