FALL RIVER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said his wife Judi St. Hilaire had been hospitalized Sunday, after a car struck her bicycle, and she was receiving intensive care.
Confirming the devastating personal news on Facebook, Coogan said St. Hilaire suffered "twelve broken ribs, two broken collarbones, punctured lungs and she is in the ICU at Saint Luke’s as I write this." Mayor Coogan said his wife had been on a 60-mile bike ride with the Naragansett Bay Wheelmen when "a car ran a stop sign in Mattapoisset and struck three of the cyclists."
Coogan later gave an update, saying his wife was in stable condition as of late Sunday morning but still in the ICU. "She will have a long journey to recovery, but we have no doubt that she will be back on the road before long," he said. Coogan said his wife insisted that he continue his mayoral campaign.
Mattapoisett Police tell WBZ NewsRadio there is an incident under investigation, but no further information is being released as of Monday morning.
This comes just ahead of election day in Fall River, with Incumbent Mayor Coogan challenged by City Council President Cliff Ponte. Coogan said his wife is "sorry" to miss the final days of campaigning, "but that's the least of our concerns."
He asked for prayers, and said St. Hilaire "will be back to riding after plenty of recovery and rehab."
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