BEVERLY — Patrice Tierney, the wife of Congressman John Tierney, was injured in a car accident this morning in Danvers. She was treated at Beverly Hospital for undisclosed injuries and was released at about noon. She is now at home recovering, according to the campaign.
Tierney's Volkswagen Bug was rear-ended by small sports utility vehicle just before 8:30 a.m. near the intersection of Centre and Hobart streets, according to Danvers police. A second person was injured in the crash and was treated at Lahey Clinic. The officers who were on duty at the time of the crash are now off duty and Danvers police could not identify the other driver, said Danvers police Capt. Patrick Ambrose.
"It was a pretty significant collision," Matt Robison, Tierney's campaign manager, said in an interview.
Because of the extent of the damage, first responders were worried that the congressman's wife's injuries were more extensive, he said.
Medics were "worried about what kind of shape she was in. It appeared at first her injuries could be significant," Robison said. "Thankfully, after checking her out, it appears that wearing her seat belt saved her from a lot of damage."
Robison said it appeared that an off-duty firefighter driving in a vehicle in front of Patrice Tierney saw the collision, pulled over and called 911. Police could not confirm that this afternoon.
"From what John (Tierney) said, Patrice was awake and able to communicate (after the accident), but she's still in a lot of pain," Robison said.
Tierney was able to leave the vehicle under her own power after the crash, he said.
Rep. Tierney left a campaign event in Gloucester abruptly when he was informed at about 9 a.m. that his wife had been injured in an accident.
Tierney was scheduled to meet with The Salem News editorial board this afternoon, but postponed that meeting due to his wife's accident.
“We are reviewing the congressman's schedule for the next couple of days and will adjust it accordingly so that he can care for his wife,” Robison said in an earlier statement.
"(Patrice) and Congressman Tierney thank all who expressed their concern during the last few hours and appreciate the continued thoughts and prayers from friends, family and supporters,” Robison said.
Rep. Tierney is involved in an extremely close race with Republican challenger Richard Tisei for the 6th District Congressional seat. Election Day is two weeks from today.
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