June 30 (UPI) — Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy underwent surgery Thursday morning after breaking his hip in a fall, his office confirmed.
The 82-year-old Leahy suffered the broken hip Wednesday night during a fall at his home in McLean, Va.
“Having been born blind in one eye, the Senator has had a lifelong struggle with reduced depth perception. He has taken some remarkable dingers over the years but this one finally caught up with him,” his office said in a statement.
“His doctors determined that the best course of action would be to have surgery to repair his hip as soon as possible. He is expected to make a full recovery and begin a healthy course of physical therapy immediately.”
With the Senate currently split 50-50, if the emergency surgery causes the senior Vermont Senator to miss any time, it could limit the ability of Democratic lawmakers to pass legislation.
Leahy is in his eighth Senate term and said in November he would retire at the end of this year. He is also the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Leahy serves as President Pro Tempore of the Senate and is third in the line of presidential succession. Only Vice-President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sit ahead of him.
Leahy practiced as a lawyer until he was elected for four terms as State’s Attorney of Chittenden County, Vt. from 1966 to 1974. He was elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time in 1974 at 34, the youngest U.S. Senator ever to be elected by Vermont.
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