Senate leader Reid's family hurt in car wreck

Washington (News Terupdate) - The wife and daughter of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were injured Thursday in a highway accident, a spokesman for the Democratic senator from Nevada said. The injuries aren't considered life-threatening.

Reid's wife, Landra, broke her neck, her back and her nose, and their adult daughter, Lana Reid Barringer of McLean, Virginia, suffered a neck injury and facial lacerations, spokesman Jon Summers said.

Landra Reid, 69, was in serious condition and scheduled to stay overnight in the hospital, though she was not expected to require surgery; daughter Lana Barringer, 49, was to be released Thursday night, Summers said.

The two women were conscious and able to feel their extremities, said Summers.

The wreck occurred in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Fairfax County at 1:10 p.m., when the 2005 Honda Odyssey driven by Barringer began braking in stop-and-go traffic and was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer, according to a Virginia State Police report.

"The impact forced the Honda Odyssey to rear-end the vehicle in front of it, a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee," it said. "The Jeep Grand Cherokee was then forced into the next lane over where it struck a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt."

The drivers of the Jeep and the Chevrolet were also taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.

The driver of the truck, Alan W. Snader, 59, of Ohio, was charged with reckless driving, the police report said. He was not injured in the crash. The tractor-trailer was carrying rolls of plastic.

The two northbound lanes of I-95 were re-opened about 3 p.m.

The 70-year-old senator visited his wife and daughter shortly after hearing of the accident at 2:15 p.m., then returned to his office in the Capitol to work on health care legislation, said Reid spokesman Jim Manley.

Asked whether Reid had considered skipping the meeting and staying at the hospital, Manley responded, "Let's be clear, for those who may know, he loves that woman more than life itself. But she's in good hands at the hospital and [he] felt the need to come back and work on this piece of legislation and he'll be heading back to the hospital as quickly as possible. I just spoke to him, and he's looking forward to getting back to the hospital."

President Obama called Reid about 5 p.m. to check on his wife and daughter and, shortly after 7 p.m., Reid was headed back to the hospital, spokesman Manley said.

Reid met his future wife at Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada, during the mid-1950s. They married in 1959 and had their first child, Lana, two years later. Three boys followed. The couple has 16 grandchildren.

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