DeSantis ‘uninjured’ in car accident while traveling to fundraiser in Chattanooga

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was involved in a car accident on Tuesday morning while traveling to a fundraising event in Chattanooga, Tenn., a spokesperson for his campaign said.

A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond to the Miami Herald’s questions about the severity of the accident, which was first reported by Fox News. His campaign Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said in a statement that the governor and his team weren’t injured in the accident.

“This morning, the governor was in a car accident while traveling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee,” Griffin said. “He and his team are uninjured. We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail.”

DeSantis is set to attend fundraisers in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Franklin, Tenn. on Tuesday before heading to Iowa on Thursday to help kick off a bus tour for Never Back Down, the main super PAC backing his presidential bid.

Kevin West, a spokesperson for the Chattanooga Police Department, said the accident occurred at about 8:15 a.m. on I-75 South and involved four vehicles in the governor’s motorcade.

The driver of the lead vehicle in the motorcade applied the brakes quickly as traffic slowed down, causing the three vehicles behind it to rear-end one another, West said. All the cars involved in the accident were government vehicles, he said.

One female staffer suffered a minor injury in the collision, but wasn’t taken to a hospital for treatment and continued on to the fundraising event. West said he wasn’t aware of whether police issued a citation.

This story is developing and will be updated.

This story was originally published July 25, 2023 at 9:43 AM.