Sunday 31 May 2015

John Kerry breaks leg in French Alps bike crash

US Secretary of State John Kerry broke his leg in a bike crash Sunday, apparently after hitting a curb while taking a break after talks in Geneva, Switzerland

The diplomat was biking near Scionzier, France before the accident, which caused him to scrap the rest of a four-nation trip that included an international conference on combating the Islamic State group.

Kerry, 71, 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 in the 9.40am incident.

"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 was taken by helicopter to Geneva's main medical center, HUG, after apparently hitting a curb with his bike in the French town about 40 kilometers 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.

Kerry's cycling rides have become a regular occurrence on his trips. He often takes his bike with him on the plane and was riding that bicycle Sunday.

During discussions in late March and early April between world powers and Iran, he took several bike trips during breaks. Those talks were in Lausanne, Switzerland, and led to a framework agreement.

Sunday's accident came as the secretary wanted to ride along a small part of the Tour de France that would have taken him into an Alpine pass, according to the Washington Post.

At the time of the crash he was riding on flat ground near the town, officials told AFP.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3104480/Secretary-Kerry-flown-Swiss-hospital-bike-crash.html#ixzz3bkkdI76V
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